


Seven and Thirteen

by HouseofSannae



Series: Kingdom Hearts Ψ: The Seeker of Darkness [25]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Additional Tags To Be Added As Chapters Are Posted, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And where did that other dog come from? Who is he?, Birth By Sleep 3: Beyond Thundagadome, Gen, Jenova's Witness, Maleficent's continued attempts at setting up a boxing match, No one jobs like Gaston, Surprise Christopher Lee, With apologies to Al Michaels, Written partially pre-KH3 ReMind, goodnight sweet prince, plotted pre-Kingdom Hearts III, say the word and walls will crumble, your strength is vaster than bees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:22:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 64,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22761658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseofSannae/pseuds/HouseofSannae
Summary: The fated day has arrived.Seven Guardians of Light, along with assistance from their comrades, arrive in the Keyblade Graveyard to do battle with Thirteen Seekers of Darkness.The Second Keyblade War begins...
Relationships: Aqua & Eraqus & Terra & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Aqua & Kairi (Kingdom Hearts), Aqua & Terra & Vanitas & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Aqua & Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts), Donald Duck & Goofy & Sora & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Eraqus & Xehanort (Kingdom Hearts), Isa & Lea & Roxas & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Isa & Lea (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi/Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Lea & Roxas & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Naminé & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Vanitas & Ventus & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas/Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Xehanort/The sound of his own voice
Series: Kingdom Hearts Ψ: The Seeker of Darkness [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/960336
Comments: 1083
Kudos: 294





	1. Deep Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very well.
> 
> Then _war_ is what you shall have...

The tension in the air was palpable.

In something of a daze, Kairi wondered how Yen Sid could be “conversing with the stars” if they were disappearing.

Evidently, not well or quickly. If there had been more room in the study, _someone_ would likely have been pacing. As it was, the entire population of the Tower was gathered in the study. Kairi was pretty sure some of the brooms were even listening at the door.

Eventually, Yen Sid sighed. “It is as we feared,” he said, softly. “That which happened three years ago has happened once more.”

“The hearts of worlds… are being stolen?” Sora asked.

Yen Sid nodded. “Mickey,” he said. “I am afraid… the Wasteland is one of the worlds that have vanished.”

“Oh no,” Mickey said. “But… what about..?”

“Of Oswald, I have no knowledge,” Yen Sid said, a worried note entering his tone.

Ven put a hand on Mickey’s shoulder. “Your brother, right?” Mickey nodded. “He’ll be all right. I promise.”

“Thanks, Ven,” Mickey said, though he still sounded worried.

“This is Ansem,” Riku said. “It has to be.”

“More than that,” Aqua said, “This is _Xehanort_. It has to be.”

“I am forced to agree with you, Master Aqua,” said Yen Sid. “This is quite troubling.” There were times where the sorcerer’s gift for understatement could grate. “I can think of no reason why Xehanort would gather the hearts of worlds once more.”

Ven, meanwhile, was staring out the window. “Uh, guys? I don’t think the gathering is the point,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Xion asked.

Ven pointed out the window. “Look closer. Not at the missing stars. At the space left behind where they’re missing.”

The group collectively turned and looked. “…that rat bastard,” Kairi muttered under her breath.

“Impossible,” Yen Sid murmured. “Could he truly be that callous, that disrespectful of life?”

The missing stars had not been taken at random. Taken together, and viewed from the Mysterious Tower’s location adjacent to Twilight Town, the negative space carved letters across the sky.

IT

IS

TIME

“Just to send a message?” Terra murmured, aghast. “Just to get our attention?”

“Doesn’t seem out of character for him to _me,_ ” Vanitas muttered.

“Well, that doesn’t matter,” Sora said, firmly.

“Doesn’t _matter?_ ” Aqua said. “Sora, worlds are _disappearing_ –”

“And just like three years ago, when we beat Ansem, they’ll come back,” said Sora. “Right?” he added, turning to Yen Sid.

Yen Sid nodded. “I see no reason why the pattern should not hold true,” he said. “Especially if wanton destruction is not truly Xehanort’s goal.”

“Then it’s time,” Roxas said. “It’s here. It’s now.”

There was an unconscious collective stiffening, as the weight of their goal settled on the group of teens and twenty-somethings.

“We can do it,” Sora said. “We can beat him.”

“We _have_ to beat him,” Xion said, softly. “Whether we ‘can’ or not doesn’t enter into it.”

There was silence.

After a handful of seconds Kairi clapped her hands. “All right, people, there’s no point sitting here worrying about how high the mountain is. Check your gear, fill up your packs, and get ready to head out.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deep. “And… last chance to bow out. No judgement. Everyone here’s suffered enough, no one could ask any more of us.”

“I second the statement,” Yen Sid intoned. “You have all given more than should ever have been asked of you. I only wish I was capable of joining you.”

“Master,” Riku said, “There’s going to be a bunch of people arriving in Traverse Town, with no idea what’s happened to them. If you can get there–”

Yen Sid nodded. “You are correct, Master Riku. Someone will have to take charge there, for the time being.” If there was a flash of gratitude in the old man’s eyes, only Riku noticed it.

Isa shifted. “Master Yen Sid… if you would have me, I would like to come along with you.”

“Huh?” Lea asked, looking at him.

Yen Sid was regarding him as well. “You are certain?” he asked.

“Yes,” Isa said.

“Wait, what?” Lea asked. “Isa…”

Isa turned to him. “Lea… I cannot go with you. I’m sorry.”

Lea frowned. “Isa, no one’s saying that you can’t. We’d be glad to have you–”

“Lea,” Isa interrupted, placing a hand on the other man’s shoulder and looking directly into his eyes. “I _can’t_. _I_ can’t. I’m sorry.”

Almost without realizing it, Lea placed his hand on Isa’s. “…All right,” he said. His lip trembled. “Stay safe, okay?”

Isa nodded. There was a wavering, like there was something else he wanted to say. Instead, he merely withdrew his hand from Lea’s. “Come back alive,” he said. “I’ll be very …annoyed with you if you don’t.”

Lea grinned. “Well, if there’s one thing I don’t want to do, it’s annoy you,” he said. “I’ll make an effort. This time.”

Isa smiled at him, if faintly. “At least you can apply yourself when it counts.”

Kairi nodded. “Take care, Isa. Anyone else joining the Traverse Town team?”

There was a resolved silence. Kairi smiled. It was small, it was a little sad, but it was a smile. “All right then.

“To war.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The biggest shock here is that I managed to finish this exactly on time.  
> If you'll allow further Hellsing quotation, and that I skipped part of the speech... "I have brought you all back, just as I promised I would. Back to our favourite battlefield. Back to our beloved war!"  
> I started planning this fic long before KHIII came out. I can't go into specifics, obviously, but there are some elements you'll be seeing that were planned for long before KHIII did them itself, which I will be pointing out as we come to them. There are other elements that I lovingly stole from KHIII, and as we continue on, you may see elements of Re:Mind popping up, as well (likely after chapter 14, which I was in the middle of writing when it dropped.) And I'll be pointing those out as well.  
> A very short chapter, I know, but we need to start small and build up. Every subsequent chapter is longer, I promise. And as you may have noticed, these chapters will be coming out on Fridays. That includes this coming Friday, because of the length of this chapter (That said, I'm only putting it up today so that I can revel in the fact that _I actually finished this monstrosity ON TIME_. I was _NOT_ expecting that!  
> I think that's about everything. If you're wondering about the tags on this fic, the "Major Character Death" refers to Xehanort, Ansem, Xemnas, etc. I don't think anyone was expecting the Norts to survive, but tagging accurately is important. As for the "Graphic Depictions of Violence", there wound up being two decapitations, and a good deal of impalement (look, I gave Vanitas a scythe. What did you think was going to happen?) And a little bit of blood. Whose blood? :P Now why would I tell you that...?  
> I also plan to tag the identities of my Norts the week _after_ they are revealed, in order not to spoil those reveals.  
> And, of course, as promised, the comments are now free reign for questions about Re:Mind. I played as far as I could, and watched the cutscenes for what I couldn't, so I'm free from the spoiler curse. That said, I won't be bringing up Re:Mind until we get to Chapter 14, since again, I was in the middle of writing it when the DLC came out. Thirteen weeks or so should be long enough, right?  
> See you all on Friday! It's good to be back!


	2. The Fated Day

Through a Light Corridor, away from home and comfort and safety, out to a reddish brown wasteland conspicuously devoid of Keyblades. Out through the Corridor into dry, oppressive air, chilly despite the desert heat, into view of thirteen figures cloaked in dark robes.

Fourteen figures, eleven in Keyblade armour, walked through the Corridor and faced the thirteen across the field.

There was silence, until the cloaked figure in the middle of the line of thirteen stepped forwards and removed his hood. “Guardians of Light, I bid you greeting. I am pleased to have you join us on this, a most momentous day. The day that the χ–blade will be forged anew.” There was a self-satisfied smirk on Xehanort’s face.

Sora stepped forwards. “And what if we say no?” he demanded. “What if we don’t help?”

Xehanort raised an eyebrow. “In that case, my dear Sora, worlds shall continue to disappear. Regrettable, but only if you make it necessary. It is my every intention to release the worlds taken thus far once the χ–blade is complete.”

“Why should we believe you?” Aqua challenged.

Xehanort smiled. “Master Aqua… what reason do I have, now, to deceive you? You know my goal. You know what must be done to achieve it. There is no more trickery to be had.”

From behind him, Xigbar shrugged out of his hood. “Hey, now, don’t rule out trickery just yet, old man,” he said, grinning entirely humourlessly.

Kairi stepped forwards to join Sora. “How many over there are there because they want to be?” she demanded of Xehanort. “How many are people you’ve taken against their will?”

Xehanort shrugged. “You’d be surprised, Princess of Heart. We were only forced to subsume the will of one. Everyone else… _volunteered_.” There was something in the way he said it that had Kairi clenching her teeth. “I believe that is enough preamble,” Xehanort continued. “Once the Guardians have been identified, we may begin.”

“Identified?” Sora asked, confused, but before he could ask what Xehanort meant, a purple aura began to glow from each and every one of the thirteen dark figures.

“Indeed,” Xehanort said, stepping back into line. “My Seekers are clear, as I only have thirteen. But your side has brought more than are required. The true Guardians of Light, whose clashing with my Seekers will bring about the χ–blade, must be identified.”

“Um, guys?” Terra said. Sora and Kairi looked back at their line.

Seven people among their number began to glow with golden light. Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Mickey, Riku, Kairi… and Lea.

“Wait, _what?_ ” Lea said, twisting down to look at himself, confused. “ _Me!?_ ”

“I would’ve thought it would be Sora…” Roxas said, equally confused.

Sora smiled (at least, they assumed so through the helmet) and shook his head. “Guys… I was never meant to have the Keyblade, remember? I proved myself worthy of it, but I only had it because Riku didn’t take it when he was supposed to.” He took a deep breath, and continued. “Even so, I’m happy just to be here to support all of you. To be able to stand with the people it _did_ choose. A small part of something greater.”

“Excellent. And now that that has been decided,” Xehanort intoned, “our battlefield must be prepared.” He lifted a hand.

There was a loud rumbling behind him, and the ground shook. The Guardians stumbled, but most kept their footing; the Seekers kept perfectly balanced, save for one who for some reason did what looked like an entirely intentional pratfall. Behind their lines, a large stone wall rose.

“What?” Lea asked, shocked.

Xehanort raised an eyebrow. “It would not do for any of my Seekers to fall before clashing with a _chosen_ Guardian. An all-out brawl would not serve my purpose. No, this experiment must be… _controlled_.” Behind him, fourteen openings appeared in the rock wall.

“Divide and conquer,” Terra said, darkly. “He’s trying to separate us.”

“Ah, Terra,” Xehanort said. “How nice it is to see that you did not succumb to your darkness as I feared you would after I left you. Not that you could not have been replaced as a Guardian, but I preferred the certainty.”

“What are you talking about?” Ven challenged. “We won him back from you!”

“Because it was necessary that I give him up,” Xehanort said. “Because it was necessary that I accept the loss and return to a body of my own.” A wide, humourless smile spread across his face. “All just as planned.”

Aqua’s eyes narrowed. “No. No, you don’t get to take that away from us. You don’t get to pretend that was all part of your plan!”

“Oh, Master Aqua,” Xehanort sighed, shaking his head. “I am _not_ pretending. I must acknowledge your achievement nonetheless; the three of you have grown quite strong, despite my lack of involvement.”

At that, Vanitas pushed his way through the line. “Bold of you to think _your_ involvement makes people stronger,” he hissed.

Xehanort raised an eyebrow. “Vanitas?” he asked. “Ah, yes. The failed experiment has fallen in with the rest of the failures. Though I suppose, in this case the failure is my own. Both in my lack of realization that your creation was unnecessary, and in my belief that I could forge the χ–blade with merely one light and one darkness.”

Vanitas’s teeth clenched. “I never asked to be _born_ , _dad_ ,” he growled.

“Nor should you have been,” Xehanort agreed.

Vanitas’s breathing grew harsher, but he felt two hands on his shoulders; Aqua and Terra had both reached for him, steadying him. Beside him, Ventus took his hand; Vanitas let him. He drew in a shuddering breath, and nodded to them, calming somewhat.

Down the line, one of the cloaked figures seemed to tense upon seeing this.

“Now, we may begin,” Xehanort said. “The board is set; the pieces lined up, yours and mine.” With that, the thirteen Seekers stepped backwards into a line of Dark Corridors and vanished.

All save one.

The Seeker that had reacted to Vanitas instead rushed forwards, right towards him, quicker than anyone could react to. Vanitas was unable to let out so much as a shocked cry before he was shoved backwards, the Seeker’s momentum carrying them both through a rapidly-appearing Dark Corridor.

“Vanitas!” Aqua cried, reaching for him, but she was unable to grab either of them before they vanished. She did, however, manage to catch a glimpse of what was under the Seeker’s hood.

What she saw froze her blood.

“Aqua, he’ll be fine,” Terra said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “He’s strong.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Aqua said, softly. “That was…” she shook her head. “No, I must have been seeing things.”

“It’ll be okay,” Ven said. “Vanitas isn’t going to go down that easily. I believe in him.”

Slowly, Aqua nodded. “I do, too.”

Terra grinned behind his helmet. “Well, if nothing else, he’s going to be so pissed that we all believe in him that he’ll pull through.” He patted Aqua on the shoulder, and she nodded her thanks.

The group looked towards the fourteen openings in the rock wall. “How much you want to bet there’s some kind of maze through there?” Lea asked no one in particular.

Naminé shook her head. “I’m not losing munny on that.”

Ven walked over and tried to step through one of the openings, but bounced off. “Huh, that’s weird. Maybe…” He continued down the line of openings, until he found one that didn’t rebuff him.

“Gosh. One for each of us,” Mickey said.

“All right,” Sora said. “I guess there’s no way out… but through.”

“We’ll be fine,” Donald said. “We just gotta find each other once we get in.”

“And we’ll never be too far from one another as long as we keep each other in our hearts,” Goofy agreed.

Riku nodded. “See you all on the other side.”

High behind the newly created labyrinth stood a mountain, with a cliff jutting out of it that overlooked the maze. It was here that twelve Dark Corridors swirled into being, disgorging the remaining Seekers.

“Showtime, people,” Xigbar called, smirking. “Let’s all break a leg!”

“Indeed,” Xehanort said, drily. “I trust you will all perform your roles as I have outlined them. It is not required that you win, only that the clash occurs.”

“Are we to hunt them through the maze, then?” one of the cloaked figures asked.

“No. There are spaces where you will wait for them to encounter you.” Xehanort’s lips drew into a smile. “It would not do for any of us to tire ourselves out unnecessarily, no?”

One of the other cloaked figures scoffed and rolled his eyes, nudging the shorter figure next to him with his elbow. “‘Wait’, he says… Do I _look_ like a waiter?”

The shorter figure didn’t respond to him. “And your promises?” he asked Xehanort instead.

Xehanort nodded. “All the situations you seek will be orchestrated. You have my word.”

“I don’t trust you,” said the short figure.

Xehanort’s lip curled with amusement. “Obviously.”

Across the line, the younger Xehanort took a deep breath, and reminded himself that there was nothing for him left to do but play his role.

From his older self’s perspective, what was about to happen to him had already happened.

There was no other way things could go.

“Darkness prevails…” he murmured to himself,

“And light expires,” his older self finished. “It can be no other way.”

Xigbar laughed. “See, I _knew_ I picked the right side.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins.  
> KHIII has been out for over a year and I'm still a little miffed that "I want to line the pieces up, yours and mine" has been a chess metaphor, not a puzzle metaphor, the whole time, and none of us noticed. (You don't _line up_ puzzle pieces, you _spread them out_ in preparation to make a puzzle). But that's more of a minor detail.   
> Let's talk about Sora.  
> I don't quite have the attachment to Sora as the playable character that it seems most KH fans do. Probably because I didn't play a KH game where (the original, non-data) Sora was the playable character until 3D, and then I was more psyched about being able to play as Riku. But one thing that I absolutely adore about Sora is the simple fact, reinforced by 3D (and torn to shreds by the way the narrative of KH3 works, but we'll get to that) that he's not someone special. He's not the Chosen One, he's not the subject of some huge destiny. What makes Sora special isn't his skill, or his parentage, or his background. Sora is special because he's the person who stood up and said "I'll do it" when the actual Chosen One said "no". He's Frodo Baggins; he's not special or hugely important in the grand scheme of things in and of himself, but he's the one who volunteers. KH3 kind of (perhaps unintentionally) steps all over this by having Sora be the only member of the entire cast be capable of finishing things. As a Dragon Ball fan, I'm used to it; but Wait-For-Goku Syndrome absolutely sucks when I'm frankly more attached to every other member of the cast over the Goku analog.   
> Sora's not the one who solves everything. He's there and doing his best, but he's one part of a group. Proud to be a small part of something greater. And that's why Sora isn't a guardian.   
> Talking of KH3, the labyrinth. My original plan prior to KH3 was for the fight to take place in one giant area. However, this begs the question of why there wouldn't be constant interference from everyone else. If I wanted certain matchups, I (like Xehanort) needed to orchestrate certain people meeting in a certain order. So a Field-Tournament-Style-Up-and-Down-On-The-Ground-Manja-Flanja-Blanja-Banja-Ishka-Bibble-Babble-Flabble-Doma-Roma-Floma-Boma-Jingle-Jangle-Every-Angle-Bricka-Bracka-Flacka-Stacka-Two-Ton-Rerun-Free-for-All-Big-Brawl wasn't gonna happen. (Which, frankly, is probably why the Skein of Severance is a thing in KH3 to begin with). Note that unlike the Skein, this one is made of actual holes cut into a mountain/plateau/thingy, not a group of ruins. So it's not _too_ similar.   
> And I think that's about everything! Next week, we cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of _war!_


	3. Cry Havoc

The tall, thin walls of the tunnel widened slightly, and the light momentarily blinded Sora as he ran into a larger area. He stood there, blinking, to get the sunlight out of his eyes.

The area he was in was still walled in, higher walls that he could climb (although he was pretty sure that there would be barriers stopping him from exiting if he tried to Flowmotion his way out, anyway), and there were more tunnels in the wall behind him. At what could sort of be considered the “back” of the area, there was a break in the wall. Sora walked over to the opening, wary of a trick of some kind, and looked out. And down.

The break in the wall was also the top of a sheer cliff.

“Wow. I wonder how far down that goes,” Sora said, leaning over to check.

There was the sudden sensation of a hand on his back, but instead of a push, it yanked Sora back into the open area.

“Sora, are you crazy?” Ven asked, shaking his head as he let go of Sora’s jacket. “You could fall!”

“I just wanted to see how long a drop it is,” Sora said, shrugging. “I can do Flowmotion, I’d have been fine.”

“And what makes you think it would have worked for that drop if it doesn’t work for the walls?” Ven asked.

Sora opened his mouth but then realized he didn’t have an answer. “Oh. Uh. Thanks, Ven.”

“No problem,” Ven said, chuckling. “Is anyone else here?”

“I don’t think so,” Sora said, pointing at the rock wall. “Only four holes. Maybe we’ll get someone else, but not everyone.”

He was proved correct as Donald and Goofy emerged from separate holes and joined them. “All right,” Donald said, brandishing his stave, “where’s Xehanort?”

“I dunno,” Ven said. “There doesn’t seem to be anyone here besides–”

A Dark Corridor swirled into being and cut him off. “Oh. There we go,” Ven amended.

The cloaked figure that stepped out of the Corridor was tall and broad-shouldered, their face still hidden by the coat. Like the other Seekers, they were engulfed in a purple aura. They took a single step forwards as the Corridor faded, and stopped. Oddly, they were completely silent.

“Hello?” Sora tried. “Um, mind if we ask who you are?”

The figure continued to stare.

“So… uh… why are you working with Xehanort?” Sora tried instead.

The figure remained silent.

“Huh. Maybe it’s me, but it’s kind of weird when they don’t talk,” Sora mused.

“Well, maybe he doesn’t want to fight?” Goofy suggested.

“I dunno,” Donald said. “He is standing there. Menacingly.”

“There’s nothing inherently menacing about standing,” Ven countered.

The figure was resolute in their quietude.

“But yeah, this is getting eerie,” Ven admitted. “Do you think maybe he’s not all there?” He took a couple of steps towards the figure.

Ven’s gold aura flared.

The figure lunged forwards, a plain sword appearing in their hand out of nowhere. Ven managed to bend back out of the way to avoid the swipe. “Whoa!”

“No, no I think he definitely wants to fight!” Sora said, summoning his Keyblade. He blocked the Seeker’s next swipe with little effort. Oddly, the person didn’t seem all that skilled. “Who _are_ you?”

The person didn’t answer, although from the way he was grunting it was clear there was a man under the coat.

“All right, I’m solving this!” Donald announced, and launched an Aerora towards Sora and the Seeker. The fierce wind buffeted both fighters, and the hood of the coat lifted away from the man’s face.

What was revealed was a clean-shaven chin, long black hair in a ponytail, and a dead look in now-gold eyes.

Ven frowned. “Wait… isn’t this that Gaston guy? From the Castle of Roses?”

“I think… he is,” Sora grunted, still struggling against his blade. “What are you doing here?”

There was still no response, other than the noises of exertion Gaston was making. “Gawrsh, maybe he’s like Saïx,” Goofy pondered. “The piece o’ Xehanort he’s got in him’s possessin’ him.”

“Lights are on, but no one’s home,” Donald agreed.

“But he _is_ in here, somewhere,” Sora protested. “And he doesn’t deserve – Ahh!” With a mighty shove, Gaston pushed Sora back and sliced at him, leaving a sizeable dent in his armour.

“It’s kind of a moot point, Sora!” Ven said, pulling the other boy back to his feet. “Only thing we can do for him now is try to knock him out of the fight! Maybe that’ll snap him out of it!”

Gaston let out another roar and lunged for them again, but both were able to dodge out of his way. “Okay,” Sora said. “Together!”

Sora and Ven both rushed forwards, faster than an untrained eye could follow. Gaston wavered for a second, then fell forwards in a heap.

“Huh. Well. That was easy!” Goofy said.

Donald whacked his arm. “Don’t _say_ that! You’ll jinx it!”

“Aw, Don, you’re the mage here. You should know jinxes ain’t real,” Goofy said.

“He’s right, though,” Ven said, concerned. “That seemed kind of… too easy.”

Sora looked over at the slumped Gaston. “I hope he’s all right in there.”

Ven patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Sora nodded. “All right. Which way next?”

On the wall before them were four holes identical to the ones they’d entered through. “So much for sticking together,” Donald grumbled.

“Well, it could be worse,” Goofy said. “Leastways we’ll all find each other again.”

“Um, guys?” Sora asked.

“Yeah, Sora, what’s up?” Ven replied.

“Is it just me or is Gaston… twitching?”

The other three turned to look at the fallen foe. Gaston’s body was starting to convulse.

It was also leaking Darkness.

“Oh, that’s probably not good,” Ven said, as the four of them readied their weapons once more.

Gaston’s body slowly rose into the air, writhing as the Darkness, separate from his aura, curled around him. Before their eyes, his body twisted, the Darkness shaping his form into that of a monstrous…

“Beast?” Sora gasped. “Donald, is this some kind of curse thing?”

“Why would _I_ know that, you big palooka?” Donald hissed.

“Sorry, you know I can’t understand you when you don’t enunciate,” Sora said, in all sincerity.

The now-bestial Gaston roared and rushed towards them again. Sora and Donald dove one way, and Ven and Goofy the other. Gaston whirled around and charged again, but this time, he zeroed in on Ven and Goofy.

“Careful!” Goofy yelled as he raised his shield, catching Gaston’s Darkness-covered paw as it swiped at Ven. Ven rolled to the side and launched a Shotlock at Gaston, catching him with a series of small explosions. Gaston reeled, and charged again, this time aiming right for Ven.

A combined Firaga blast from Sora and Donald didn’t deter him. “Why me?” Ven demanded, dodging out of the way again.

Sora’s eyes widened as he realized why. “Ven! It’s your aura! He needs to clash with you!”  
“Well I’d really rather he didn’t!” Ven yelled, dodging another charge.

“We’d prefer that, too!” Donald said, casting Thunder spells at Gaston. The man-beast shook them off, continuing to recklessly charge at Ven.

“Hmmm, now wait just a minute,” Goofy said, eyeing the gap in the wall. “I think I’ve got an idea!”

Sora flashed a grin. “Looks like that just might work! Ven! Get over to the edge!”

“That sounds dangerous!” Ven protested, still narrowly avoiding getting charged.

“That’s kind of the point!” Sora explained.

Reluctantly, Ven lined himself up with the gap. Gaston turned at the opposite end of the area, and roared, charging again.

As he did so, Donald and Sora cast Blizzard on the ground below his feet. Gaston’s charge became a slide. With a quick cast of Haste, Ven danced out of the way and Gaston careened toward the edge of the cliff.

“There we go!” Sora cheered, but it was too soon. With a roar of defiance, Gaston dug his claws into the ground and skidded to a stop right before the lip. “Oh, _shoot!_ ”

Gaston snarled at them and paced away from the edge. “What do we do now?” Donald asked, warily.

Sora tapped his chin. “Well, sending him over under his own power didn’t work… maybe we should try tossing him?”

“Tossing him?” Donald asked. “How?”

Ven’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I know how!”

“Exactly!” Sora said, matching his expression.

Goofy leaned over to Donald. “Don, you got any idea what they mean?”

Donald shook his head. “If you want us to help, you gotta tell us what to do!” he said, accusing.

“Right!” said Sora. “But I don’t think we need much more than a boost.”

Donald and Goofy looked at him. “Huh?”

Sora grinned. “Just watch.”

Gaston roared, evidently ready for another charge. Sora and Ven looked at each other and nodded. As one, both sides charged forwards.

As Sora and Ven ran, they dived ahead, rolling, and rising surrounded in Flowmotion aura. They jumped, lunged, and shot right over Gaston’s head. The beast whirled around to keep them in view, but they were barely giving it any regard. Instead, Sora landed on the ground in a handstand, his Flowmotion dissipating.

Ven, however, flipped, and made contact with Sora’s shoes, pushing off of the other teen and launching back behind Gaston again. “How about _this?_ ” he yelled, catching Gaston in the Flowmotion and flinging him towards the gap.

“Oh, a boost!” Goofy exclaimed as Gaston careened towards him. “Donald!” The two Disney Town natives huddled together under Goofy’s shield, catching the flung Gaston and launching him further out into space.

As Gaston flew over the gap, the purple aura covering his body dissipated. Ven’s flared again, but remained the same.

“Holy crap,” Sora said, looking out over the gap again. “I know it was my idea, but… no one deserves to go out like that.” The ground was far enough away that Gaston couldn’t be seen as more than a broken shape on the ground below. Human again, but not in time.

“I don’t really believe in fate, but… wasn’t that what originally happened to him, too?” Ven asked, biting his lip.

Behind him, Donald and Goofy each took their hats off. The four stood there, sharing a moment of silence for the fallen. As far as they could tell, Gaston hadn’t wanted this.

“We should’ve been able to do more for him,” Ven murmured.

Goofy reached out and wrapped an arm around Sora and Ven both. “Gawrsh, sometimes you just don’t get the chance. It’s not pleasant. It always hurts.”

“I still feel like we should’ve tried,” Sora muttered.

“Tried what?” Donald asked. “If Kairi was here, maybe. But she wasn’t. There’s nothing we could’ve done.”

“I don’t like this,” Sora said.

Goofy rubbed his back. “I’d be pretty darn worried if ya did. You’ve got a kind heart, Sora.”

“You both do,” Donald added, patting Ven’s arm.

They stood there for a while longer in silence, before turning back to the waiting tunnels. “We’re still split up, huh,” Sora said, sadly.

“We’ll find each other again,” Goofy said. “Just like we did here.”

Sora took a deep breath, and smiled, determined. “Right!” With that, the four of them proceeded through their respective tunnels, on to the next encounter.

High above the labyrinth, a form started to shape itself in the air. An oversized sword, with a hilt of two crossed Kingdom Keys.

It was vague and ill-formed, but it was real.

The forging of the χ–blade had begun.

It was visible from down in the ravine Gaston had fallen into, and to the man – more a teenager, really – who stood there.

Xehanort sighed. Gaston had not been brought out of time, and as such his body needed to be returned to his world. Fortunately, he had returned to humanity upon his death, as his bestial form would have caused unwanted questions should his remains ever be found. Gaston’s return was the younger Xehanort’s duty, as he was not due to fight against the Guardians until much later along.

He looked down at the corpse below his feet, and sighed again.

“What a _waste_.”

There was something ironic in the Guardians of Light being blinded by light as they exited the tunnels, Roxas reflected. It wouldn’t surprise him if Xehanort intended that exact sort of effect as a kind of commentary on Light. Pretentious asshole.

He emerged from his tunnel atop a plateau overlooking several other paths and arenas; he’d felt the pathway sloping, but hadn’t realized he’d be that high up.

“Alone, huh?” he muttered to himself, his heart sinking somewhat, until someone else ran in through a different tunnel.

“Xion!” he shouted, beaming broadly.

“Roxas!”

The two ran to each other, hugging tightly, and kissed. “You okay?” Xion asked.

“Nothing’s happened yet,” Roxas said. “You?”

“Same.” Xion frowned. “So…”

“My _deepest_ apologies. Am I interrupting a _moment_?” The deep, lightly mocking voice rolled across the plateau and Roxas and Xion broke apart, identical expressions of fury on their faces.

“Xemnas,” Roxas growled.

Descending as if from on high, their former Superior floated down to stand before them. “Ah, my former compatriots,” he said, smiling. It looked incredibly wrong on his face. “Well, _compatriot_. Only one of you was _truly_ part of my Organization.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Roxas hissed, summoning his Keyblade and splitting it into its twin blade form.

“Why, Roxas. Are you not as pleased to see me as I am to see you?” Xemnas asked.

“Oh, no, don’t get me wrong,” Roxas said, grinning humourlessly. “I’m gonna really enjoy beating your face into the _fucking_ ground.”

“Roxas, no.” Xion’s voice was firm and unshaken, and she stepped forwards to stand beside him.

Xemnas raised an eyebrow. Roxas looked over at her, askance. “Xion?”

Xion summoned her Keyblade, changed it into its giant blade form, and hefted it over her shoulder, baring her teeth in a smile identical to Roxas’s. “You mean _we’re_ gonna really enjoy beating his face into the _fucking_ ground.”

Xemnas met their determination with a wide grin. “I would expect no less.”

Roxas and Xion charged, and the battle was joined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ahem.*  
>  _No... one's..._  
>  A knob like Gaston!  
> Leads a mob like Gaston!  
> Gets built up a lot just to job like Gaston!  
> Though he may not have had much of an impact,  
> (save that which he left on the ground)  
> Our plans will go on ahead intact,  
> Because let's all remember it's just the first round!  
> Who has pains like Gaston?  
> Entertains like Gaston?  
> Who deserves all these endless refrains like Gaston?  
> And now that he's done his part χ–blade forging...  
> I'll say it once more, I've got so much in store!  
> Such sights to see, and more places to be!   
> And more songs to come, cause I'm having much fun (though this one might be going too long),  
> We've taken a step, now let's see what comes next!  
> As we now say farewell to Gaston!
> 
> And now with that nonsense out of the way, let's discuss the chapter.  
> I had a lot to figure out with this fight, mainly because my outline just has "Gaston jobs like a bitch" for this part. Initially, the second "phase" of the fight didn't exist; as I was writing the chapter I was thinking back to _La belle et la bête_ , particularly the part at the end where, while the Beast becomes human again, Avenant (the character who inspired Disney's Gaston) becomes a Beast himself. And hey, I thought, that's a bit more interesting than a hypnotized dude with a sword. I'm also a little concerned that Ven and Sora might come off as a bit too callous here? I tried to manage that the best I could, but we still have two Good Boys tossing a man they're pretty much aware is hypnotized/brainwashed/bodysnatched off a cliff to his death. Needs must of the story, but hopefully it came across better than I'm worried it did.   
> This is how the χ–blade forging is going to work. As Seekers and Guardians clash, their auras go away, and the χ–blade becomes more complete. Since we have only seven Guardians, some of them will have to be involved in more than one fight for their auras to go away. There's not much rhyme or reason to how many, so don't look for any. :P  
> That all said, I'm sure you're wondering why Xemnas is now facing Roxas and Xion, even though they aren't Guardians and can't contribute to the χ–blade. Basically, he's just playing with them before downsizing them. But we'll see how that goes for him. But not next time.  
> Next time, we'll be meeting our first unrevealed Nort. This choice may be controversial, but I believe I've made _the wise_ decision...  
> Until then!


	4. A More Civilized Age

Lea studied the walls of the tunnel as he ran through, struggling to find another opening, a branching path that might lead him somewhere else. To someone else.

There had been a point in his life where he wouldn’t have admitted he was worried, but that was long since passed. There was every chance that Roxas and Xion could be facing someone on their own, and that did not sit well with him. And that was also true for Naminé, and Kairi, and Ven, and Van, and… Well. Everyone, really.

He wondered if Isa was doing okay.

It was in some way almost a relief when he broke through to the light. True, there was almost certainly a Seeker there waiting for him, but at least he wouldn’t be alone.

Unless, of course, he was the only one whose tunnel had led to this spot.

“And doesn’t that just fucking figure,” he muttered to himself. Scanning the wall he’d emerged from, he spotted an additional two tunnels, but there wasn’t hide nor hair of anyone else he recognized.

He wasn’t counting the figure in the Organization coat at the other end of the area for obvious reasons.

“All right, are you an old coworker or fresh meat?” he asked, rolling his shoulders and summoning his Keyblade.

“I beg your pardon?” the figure asked in a rich baritone. The man, because apparently it was a man, still had the same purple aura of Darkness surrounding him as did the other Seekers.

“Well, that answers that,” Lea muttered. “Just wondering if you were someone I knew,” he said, in a louder tone. He still hadn’t ruled it out; the man’s voice sounded oddly familiar.

“I find that highly doubtful,” the man said. It was weird to hear a voice deeper than Xemnas’s. “I take it you were once a member of the previous Organization?”

“Yep, been there, done that, got the T-shirt,” Lea said. “If you want my advice, get out while you can. Xehanort’s only using you. Plus, the retirement package is shit.”

“I am afraid,” said the man, “that I owe Master Xehanort a debt of gratitude. His actions have delivered me from a most… unpleasant fate.”

Lea frowned. “Doesn’t really seem like that guy’s M.O.”

The man shrugged. “In return he asked for my assistance with this experiment. He was quite reasonable about it.”

The voice was really starting to feel familiar. Something about the man’s pitch, and phrasing, and tone, and…

He’d heard it before.

He knew this voice.

“…That’s impossible,” Lea breathed, lowering his Keyblade. “It can’t be you.”

“Oh? And who can I not be?” asked the man.

“You _can’t_ be Ansem the Wise.”

The man tilted his head, and threw back his hood. While he did have a goatee, it continued back into a full, if short, beard. His hair was not as long as the true Ansem’s, and instead of gold it was silver; not the silver of possession, but of age. Golden eyes were the only concession to Xehanort’s darkness; although Lea could swear he saw a red ring around at least one of the man’s irises. “I’m afraid,” said the man, “I have absolutely no idea to whom you’re referring. My name… is Dooku, Count of Serenno.”

There was a long pause, the kind one would expect as the result of a scene transition, or the ending of a television show. It would almost have been a cliffhanger, Lea mused, if this hadn’t been real life. “Sorry, I’ve got no idea who you are,” he said.

“That is not unexpected,” Dooku admitted. “My concerns are generally limited to the scope of my own world. My presence here is a favour.”

“A favour?” Lea asked.

“My presence here is the result of my removal from my proper time stream. I am… to put it in a crass way… supposed to be dead,” Dooku explained. “As you can see, I owe Xehanort a debt. For the time being.”

“Well that’s ominous,” Lea muttered. “So, what, you’re gonna do this one job and then fuck off?”

“No,” said Dooku. “This is a game I have long been familiar with. Once Xehanort has successfully created this weapon, I intend to divest him of it.”

Lea raised an eyebrow. “That might be a bit harder than you think. Keyblades don’t work for just anyone. And I’m guessing neither do χ–blades.”

“Then I shall merely remove the weapon from the equation. If no one can use it, it might as well not exist,” Dooku replied.

“I don’t think Xehanort’s gonna take too kindly to usurpation,” Lea continued.

Dooku shrugged. “It is the way of the Sith. If he is not expecting it, it is a personal failing on his part.”

Lea blinked. “Wait, ‘Sith’? Where have I heard that…? Oh _shit_. You’re from _that_ world. The one with all that ‘force’ or whatever it was. And those… cheddar monks? Wait, no, ‘Jedi”, that was the one.”

“You are close enough to nearly be insulting,” Dooku drawled. “But yes. I am a Master of the ways of the Force. Both that of the Light… and the Dark.”

“Thought it was one or the other?” Lea said.

“One makes many choices over the course of one’s life,” Dooku said, smiling. “As I am sure you are well aware, if you once worked for the previous Organization.”

“You make a fair point,” Lea said, shrugging. “But what’s so special about this Force nonsense anyway? Didn’t quite get an example from the last person I talked to.”

“The Force surrounds all things, binds everything that lives together,” said Dooku. He started to walk, and Lea mirrored him, the two transcribing a large circle. “Bend it to your will, and you can accomplish great things.” To Lea’s slight alarm, rocks scattered on the ground behind Dooku began to rise.

“I thought you’re supposed to be ‘one’ with it?” Lea asked, still on guard. “Let it guide you or some shit. That’s what the guy I met said. ‘Luminous beings are we’ or something like that.”

Dooku blinked. “Who… did you meet?”

“An old wrinkled green Muppet-looking guy, name of Yoda,” Lea said. “You probably haven’t met, I’ve heard your world is a lot bigger than they usually are.”

Dooku was staring off into the distance, ignoring him. “So… my old Master yet lives,” he intoned. “And has survived the Chancellor’s Purge.”

“Or, maybe it’s a small world after all,” Lea grumbled.

“To answer your earlier question, submission to the will of the Force is the way of the Jedi Knights. The Lords of the Sith, in contrast, know that paltry notions of ‘good and evil’ do not matter. There is only power, and the use to which it is put,” said Dooku. “The Jedi stand eternally vigilant against their fear; the Sith _have_ none.”

“Yeah, that sounds pretty fucking dark if you ask me,” Lea said, casually summoning his Keyblade back.

“The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some may consider to be… _unnatural_ ,” Dooku conceded.

“Such as?” Lea challenged, like an idiot.

He was immediately aware of a slight pressure on his windpipe. “Wh–” The pressure increased to uncomfortable, then vanished completely. “Wow. At least buy a guy dinner first,” he said, to cover his stark terror over the realization that he could very well have died then and there.

“It is fortunate for you that Master Xehanort specified we need clash, and did not ask for your outright elimination,” Dooku said.

“Yep, I’m getting that feeling,” Lea said, rubbing his throat.

“Thus, this match will not be settled through my use of the Force,” Dooku said, withdrawing a curved silver tube about the length of his forearm from his coat, “but by our skill at arms.”

A _snap-hiss_ echoed through the area as a harsh red beam of light extended from the tube.

“Huh,” Lea said. “So it’s like that thing that Xemnas does?”

Dooku’s eyes narrowed. “The lightsaber is an ancient and powerful weapon, of both the Jedi and the Sith. Whatever it is that Xemnas does merely looks similar, but is distinct.”

“Bet that helps with the copyright,” Lea said, readying his stance.

“Do you always speak in such cryptic non sequiturs?” Dooku asked.

“It’s part of my charm,” Lea said, grinning, and rushed forwards.

Dooku sidestepped his first strike, and Lea ducked under his. “Not bad for an old man,” Lea taunted.

Dooku merely smirked. “You will find that I was considered quite the accomplished duelist in my youth. As opposed to this distasteful flailing you seem to favour.”

“Hey, don’t knock flailing, flailing can be very useful,” Lea said. He swung at Dooku’s head.

Dooku brought up his blade to block, and the teeth of Lea’s Keyblade fell to the ground.

“What?” Lea stepped back in shock, staring at the head of his Keyblade.

“As I said,” Dooku replied. “Whatever it is that Xemnas does is unlike a lightsaber in one very crucial area.”

In a daze, Lea banished his Keyblade, and resummoned it. Dooku stood there like a smug asshole and let him do it.

His blade returned, whole and unbroken.

“How fascinating,” Dooku commented. “Clearly there is much that is unique about these ‘Keyblades’ as well.”

“Oh, this is gonna suck,” Lea said, backing away.

“Indeed,” Dooku said, and lunged.

As Lea dodged away, he frantically fumbled for a way to fight without his weapon. He cast a blast of Fire at Dooku, only for the Sith to catch the spell barehanded and extinguish it. “Oh, that’s just fucking _cheating!_ ” he yelled.

He dodged another swipe of Dooku’s lightsaber, and offhandedly mused to himself that in other circumstances, it would probably be a really cool weapon. Even aside from the comparison to Xemnas’s Ethereal Blades, there was something about it that was scratching a memory. Something about the hilt.

It came to him in a flash. He and Kairi had received several Keychains on their journey together, but there had been two that had merely transformed their Keyblades into bladeless hilts. The two had been given to them by Yoda.

Wordlessly, without breaking eye contact with Dooku, Lea reached into his pocket and removed the Keychain for Spark of Rebellion.

As he clipped it to his Keyblade, the blade itself vanished, leaving behind only a burnished steel hilt, simple in its design. The guard was a perfect circle, and there was a raised slit where the blade should have been. The Keychain was a circle with a bit cut out; the resulting shape resembled a bird as seen from the top down, with wings sweeping forwards. Two notches in a central arrowhead shape demarked the head.

On the handle there was a slightly raised area, which Lea had missed before.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Lea said, and pressed down on what he hoped was a button.

With a _snap-hiss_ , an orange Keyblade flared into being. The teeth resembled swept-forwards avian wings, but aside from that glowed as brightly as Dooku’s lightsaber. Reflexively, Lea swung and blocked Dooku’s next strike.

The lightsaber clashed on the Keyblade and Dooku grunted at the sudden interruption. Both Lea’s and Dooku’s auras abruptly flared. “Now we’re fighting fire with fire!” Lea grinned.

“That would imply that you believe we are evenly matched,” Dooku said. Lea abruptly realized that the old man hadn’t even broken a sweat. “I’m afraid, you are quite wrong.”

It’s been said that you learn more from your failures than from your successes. If that was true, Lea would reflect later, then he’d been treated to a master class in swordsmanship. Nothing that he tried worked. Thrusts, cuts, lunges, swipes; Dooku countered them all. Lea had the horrible impression he wasn’t even putting any effort in.

“I do wonder exactly how long this farce must continue before I may end you,” Dooku said. “There comes a point at which toying with you becomes… boring.”

“Hey, we can stop… whenever you… want,” Lea panted. “No skin… off my nose.”

“I had hoped that I would at least be set against a _competent_ opponent,” Dooku remarked.

“Competency… comes in many forms,” Lea said, trying in vain to catch his breath. Spark of Rebellion flickered out as he let go of the activation stud.

“I’m sure that idea makes you feel better about your own weakness,” Dooku sneered. “I grow tired of this. Fortunate for us that you brought _spares_.” He raised his lightsaber, intending to strike Lea down.

Before he could swing, there was a burst of light from the wall Lea had entered from. Both men froze as a familiar-to-Lea blue head turned, surveying the scene with a frown. “Lea!” Aqua called, rushing over. “Are you all right?”

“Been better,” Lea said, straightening up. Another burst of light heralded another arrival, and Kairi entered the scene, joining them.

“I hope you realize that this does not improve your odds any,” Dooku said, stepping back to view the new arrivals.

“Lea, you good?” Kairi asked.

“Is everyone gonna ask me that?” Lea said wryly.

Kairi punched his shoulder. “Yeah, of course, we care about you, dolt. Now what’s this guy’s deal?”

“You remember Long Ago and Far Away?” Lea asked. “He’s from there. One of those ‘Sith’ guys Yoda mentioned.”

“What’s that weapon?” Aqua asked, summoning her Keyblade and sizing Dooku up.

“Calls it a ‘lightsaber’. Careful, it’ll cut through your Keyblade like butter,” Lea said.

“Not for nothing, but how are you alive?” Kairi asked.

“Remember those Keychains Yoda gave us?” Lea asked. Kairi nodded. Lea held up Spark of Rebellion and thumbed the activation stud, the beam blade sparking to life. “Yeah. We were wrong when we thought they didn’t work.”

“Got it,” Kairi said, pulling out her Awakened Force Keychain and clipping it to her Keyblade. Hers underwent a transformation similar to Lea’s; her hilt wound up slightly more square, and her Keychain was roughly the same shape, save with much more defined wings and a starburst from which rose a point at the centre. She pressed the activation stud and a bright blue blade sprang to life with a _snap-hiss_. The head bent back in a large number seven shape, with two perpendicular lines crossing the end as the teeth. “Lea, give yours to Aqua.”

“Huh?” Lea asked. “Why?”

“Because part of my tunnel went through open air, and while I couldn’t jump out, I could see Roxas and Xion. They’re fighting Xemnas, Lea,” Kairi said.

“That bitch,” Lea muttered under his breath. He unclipped the Spark of Rebellion Keychain from his Keyblade and tossed it to Aqua. “Watch out for his space magic.”

“Space… magic?” Aqua asked, confused.

“The Force,” Kairi said.

“Glad _you_ listened to Yoda,” Lea said, grinning. “Telekinesis, including shutting your throat if he feels like it. And I’m thinking he’s got another trick or two he didn’t show me. Says he needs clashes for Xehanort, though, so I dunno. Watch out. He’s insultingly good. And also just insulting.”

“Will do,” Aqua said as she clipped his Keychain to her Keyblade. “Take care of yourself, Lea.”

“Hey,” Lea said, turning back as he headed for the other wall of tunnels, “it’s _me_.” He vanished into the dark.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re worried, moron,” Kairi muttered.

Dooku cleared his throat. “If you are quite done with the theatrics, I believe we have a duel to fight. I am Dooku. And you are?”

“I am Keyblade Master Aqua,” Aqua said, readying her stance.

“And I’m Kairi. Nice to meet you,” Kairi said, also readying herself. Dooku and Aqua both looked at her. “What? Nothing wrong with being polite.”

“We’ll take him together,” Aqua said, choosing to let it go.

“Right.” Kairi said, and they both charged.

Dooku met their Keyblades with a whirl of light, both his and their auras flaring. Kairi found herself roughly shoved back, though nothing had made contact with her. “Of course, Force bullshit,” she muttered, and aimed a blast of Water at Dooku (reasoning, correctly, that Lea had already tried Fire).

Aqua dodged to the right as the spell hit, and Kairi rushed in to fill the gap, catching Dooku’s blade on her own. Aqua lunged in but felt a grasp tug on her ankle, tripping her. She turned it into a roll and rose up in time to block Dooku’s blade, Kairi having been flung back yet again.

With a yell, Kairi launched herself into the air, only to be held there in place. Aqua gasped, and charged forwards, hoping to break Dooku’s concentration. The Sith parried her strike one-handed, and turned her blade away. “I had hoped that perhaps your friend was not indicative of the level of skill I could expect to find here,” Dooku commented, sounding, of all things, amused, “but I am sadly disappointed.”

“If you want a duel,” Aqua growled, “then fine. We’ll duel.” She took a step back, and Formchanged her Keyblade into its rapier form.

“Ah, a formal challenge? How interesting,” Dooku said. He gestured with his free hand, and Kairi was launched backwards towards the wall. She righted herself in midair just before hitting it, and landed lightly on her feet.

“Aqua!” she called, but Aqua shook her head.

“Give me one shot, Kairi,” she said.

“Fuck that, who gives a shit about fighting fair when lives are mphhnnmphhhh!” Kairi’s mouth abruptly clamped shut.

“Ah, the impatience of youth,” Dooku mused. “Truly, things are the same everywhere you go. Were you taught to duel, Master Aqua?” He gave an elaborate salute.

“I was,” Aqua confirmed, returning the salute.

Dooku smiled. “And yet, I believe… _not_ taught to kill.”

“No,” Aqua said, but there was a steely glint in her eye. “That I had to learn for _myself_.”

She and Dooku both rushed forwards, saber blades clashing as they sliced, parried, and whirled. Kairi, meanwhile, rolled her eyes and set to picking out an opening.

Aqua caught Dooku’s saber on her rapier and slid into his guard, a Fire spell charged and ready in her hand, and thrust it straight into Dooku’s chest. The Sith stumbled back, but straightened, apparently unharmed. “There are some who would call that unsporting,” he said, but his tone was still more that of an amused teacher telling off a recalcitrant student.

“Magic use is standard for dueling where I come from,” Aqua said, still laser-focused on the fight.

“Yeah, a space wizard should know better,” Kairi grumbled from the sidelines; Dooku had relaxed his grip on her mouth. Even distracted, his guard was perfect. She hadn’t found a single opening.

Dooku parried another slash from Aqua. “Hmm. I sense great anger in you, young Master,” he said, smirking a bit.

“And?” Aqua growled, pressing the attack.

“Had you been gifted with strength in the Force, you would have made a powerful Sith,” Dooku continued.

“I repeat,” Aqua said, grunting with effort as she blocked a strike. “And?”

Dooku smiled. “Give in to your anger. It is a tool. Use it. _Let the Darkness in_.”

“Better than you have tried and failed to tempt me,” Aqua hissed.

“Is that so?” Dooku asked. “Then perhaps you need further _motivation_.” He held out his hand.

Somewhere behind Aqua, Kairi gasped. “Kairi?” she said, turning around.

Kairi gasped, and coughed, and her face started to turn blue.

“Don’t you dare,” Aqua said, turning back to Dooku. “Don’t you _fucking_ dare!”

“Language,” Dooku said, and Aqua rushed at him with a scream.

There was method to her madness. Generally, magic required concentration, especially continuous spells. If that concentration was broken, the spell would end. She saw no reason why it wouldn’t be the same for this “Force” thing.

And she was angry enough to burn the world down.

The difficult part was trying to throw off the rhythm of a man who could, to some extent, predict what she was going to do. He seemed to be protected from spells against his person, and she had a feeling casting Blizzard on the ground under his feet wouldn’t cause him to slip. She was rapidly running out of time, as Kairi had slumped down to the ground, barely keeping herself upright on her knees, both hands grasping in vain at her throat.

If there was no way she could do the unexpected… then the only solution was to do what _was_ expected.

And go all in on the hope that Dooku did not understand the fundamental differences between the Dark Side of the Force, the Darkness… and simple, personal, darkness.

Aqua felt a cool touch reach down and place itself over hers, and saw a vision of a red-fingered hand supporting her Keyblade. Silently, she murmured, “I am thou…”

And in a breathless voice from behind her left ear, she heard, “ _Thou art I._ ”

Aqua slammed her Keyblade into the ground and a rush of darkness swept forwards, rolling like a wave under Dooku’s feet. The Sith Lord looked down in confusion, and spikes lanced out of the puddle of darkness, knocking him off-balance.

“Kairi!” Aqua called, quickly looking back. “Are you all right?!”

Kairi coughed, gasping in lungfuls of air through a now-cleared throat. “ _Y-yellow_ ,” she sputtered, catching her breath.

Aqua turned back to Dooku. “Next time don’t try to lecture someone unless you actually know what you’re talking about,” she said. “There is darkness inside everyone. And that’s perfectly normal. Denying it would be like denying your own right arm. You can’t be corrupted by what you carry yourself.”

“Indeed?” Dooku asked, rising to his feet. “Then I still have much to learn. I will make sure to do so; and I shall remember your name, Master Aqua.”

“And then you’re going to say something condescending about how I’ll just be a memory, right?” Aqua said. “It might shock you to know, but I’ve heard it before.” She was still quite angry.

“Have you? Then we may skip to the end,” Dooku said, and he swept towards her. Aqua was bombarded by a deluge of blows, one after the other hitting faster and faster until she could barely keep up. Dooku’s blade came up, and Aqua’s Keyblade was knocked out of her hands. Dooku lined up to slice across her chest –

Only to have his lightsaber collide with a glowing blue shield.

“Kairi?” Aqua gasped.

“What happened to ‘together’?” Kairi asked, wryly. Her Formchanged Keyblade, still under the influence of the Awakened Force Keychain, was now the same blue energy on every ring save the centre. And it was holding steady against Dooku.

Aqua smirked. “You’re right, of course. Together!”

As one, they turned the tide, Kairi handling defense while Aqua handled offense. Together, despite Dooku’s abilities and skill, they were able to push him back. As Kairi caught a downward swipe on her shield, Aqua lunged past her with her rapier and stabbed a burning hole into Dooku’s side.

Dooku’s purple aura dissipated, and both Aqua’s and Kairi’s flared. Dooku stumbled backwards, clutching at the wound. “Ah,” he said, straightening up; evidently he was well-versed in hiding pain. “It would appear that the clash I was sent to achieve has been realized. Thus... I have no more use for you.”

Blue lightning lanced out of his fingers, and Kairi and Aqua knew only pain.

Aqua stabbed her Keyblade into the ground in an attempt to ground the lightning, but to no avail. Kairi, half out of desperation, hurled her shield towards Dooku. He merely stepped out of the way, and allowed the shield to embed itself in the rock wall behind him. “A foolish gesture,” he said. “I would suggest you make this easy on yourselves, and submit.”

“I’ve… been… told… that… before…” Aqua grunted, trying to gather herself up for a spell, but finding it nearly impossible. Beside her, Kairi’s gaze was locked on her shield.

“Please understand, there is nothing personal in this,” Dooku said, walking closer. “You are simply of no use to me. Your side has spares for the forging of this weapon of Xehanort’s, and the two of you are, ultimately, inconsequential.”

“I… dunno,” Kairi gasped out. “I’m… feeling… pretty… consequential.”

Dooku gave her a pitying smile. “Such delusions are the sign of a mind trying to cope with the inevitable,” he said. “But some things are simply unchangeable.” He lifted his blade and lined the tip up with Aqua’s sternum.

There was a blur of motion, the sound of a lightsaber cutting through flesh… and Dooku’s head fell one way, and his body another.

Aqua, reeling from the sudden absence of the lightning, looked over at Kairi. The other girl’s hand was extended, and her shield had returned to her arm. The shortest distance between two points was a straight line, and it had taken that route on its return to her, not unlike a Strike Raid.

Dooku’s neck had been in the way.

And the Keychain on her Keyblade functioned exactly like a lightsaber.

Kairi staggered to her feet, walked some distance away to the wall, and collapsed back to her knees, retching, as her breakfast bid a return unwelcome to both itself and Kairi’s stomach.

Aqua looked away, over to Dooku’s body, which vanished as if it had never been there as she got to her feet. “Pulled out of time,” she muttered to herself. She removed Lea’s Keychain from Stormfall and stashed it away to return to him later. “Kairi? Are you doing all right?”

“No,” Kairi muttered. She’d moved away from the results of her actions, and was sitting back against the wall with her head between her legs.

Aqua sat down next to her, but Kairi shook her head. “Don’t touch me. Please. Not right now.”

“Kairi… I know how this feels, but this doesn’t make you a bad person,” Aqua tried.

Kairi still didn’t look at her. “‘Course it doesn’t,” she said, “but I still killed someone, Aqua. Even in self-defense. Even to save the worlds. If I didn’t feel like this, I _would_ be a bad person.” She sighed. “I want to be alone right now. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be all right, but I would like a moment to myself.”

“Okay,” Aqua said, nodding. She’d put a hand on the other girl’s shoulder if Kairi would let her, but she’d said no. “Come find me after… after everything… if you need to talk.”

Kairi nodded, and Aqua stood up, walking over to and into the waiting continuation of her tunnel. Behind her, Kairi leaned her head back, and choked out a sob.

In the tunnel, Aqua felt a presence behind her. “Thank you,” she said, quietly, as she turned.

Her Phantom smirked. “Not afraid of the dark anymore, Aqua?” she asked.

Aqua shook her head. “No, I still am. But I’m not afraid of _myself_ anymore.” She smiled.

Her Phantom matched her smile. “Glad to hear it. If you ever need me again–”

“I know right where to find you,” Aqua said. Her Phantom nodded, and vanished.

Aqua took a deep breath, and continued on down the tunnel, towards the next encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tempted to post a gif of Dark Helmet from Spaceballs saying "Fooled you!". But I don't feel like being _that_ much of a dick. Plus I'm not sure it's possible to embed gifs in Ao3 notes to begin with.  
> Let's talk about something called "priming". It's a psychological technique by which your response to a stimulus can be altered by a previous stimulus. For example, because I led you to believe this Nort was Christopher Lee, (ideally) you read the his lines before the reveal of his identity in Christopher Lee's voice. And it was Christopher Lee! Just not the character you were expecting.  
> I still stand by Dooku being the wise decision of a Star Wars character to bring in, though. While death wasn't an issue, Dooku was the only logical choice to bring in. Maul, at this point, probably wouldn't work for someone else no matter what he was promised. Palpatine would both refuse to work for someone else and refuse to let go of Vader's leash even if Xehanort asked really nicely. Also, because of the whole Darkness/Dark Side thing, I didn't consider Grievous since he's not a Force-user. And as for Kylo Ren, I had two major considerations. First, as you may have forgotten since it hasn't been relevant since KLEA, I have it that BBS took place concurrently with Revenge of the Sith. So, Kylo Ren's parents haven't even met yet at this point (and Young Nort hasn't been going further to the future past this day to begin with). Second, Kylo Ren is a punk bitch. It also makes sense to me that a theoretical meeting between Keyblade Apprentice Xehanort and Jedi Padawan Dooku could have happened, once upon a time.   
> Should also probably talk about Lea's Keyblade breaking and then being fine. KH3 made Keyblades breaking "a thing that just happens sometimes", in a sense, what with both Riku and Lea having their Keyblades broken. We see later on that Lea's Keyblade breaking meant absolutely nothing, as it's fine the next time he summoned it; which is how I would assume it worked, considering that Keyblades are formed from a person's heart. Except when they aren't. (what the fuck even is this franchise). Anyway, my point here is that if KH3 can break both Riku and Lea's Keyblades for dramatic effect and then have Lea's be perfectly fine afterwards while Riku's is GONE FOREVER, so can I, and y'all're just gonna have to deal with it.   
> Talking of Keyblades, designs for Awakened Force and Spark of Rebellion. I'm a little ashamed that one of them is just the credits symbol, but I really couldn't find another symbol that would've worked and wasn't also rife with symbolism that it wouldn't make sense to invoke. Look, I'm a writer, not a designer, and there's a reason for that.   
> And about Aqua. She's come a long way, eh? But this wouldn't be the first time she's managed to pull off something she's only seen someone else do before (she used Flowmotion in the fight against Terranort, before Sora and Riku formally started teaching people how to do it). Aqua might be something of a genius. And I wonder how Vanitas is going to feel about this... Anyways, for Kairi's part, it's now sunk in for her exactly what "war" means. And we'll see how she deals with that going forwards through this fic.   
> I think that about covers everything! Next week, it's time for something I had a lot of fun writing. It's time for a bit of the old razzle-dazzle, courtesy of our friendly neighborhood Xigbar! Until then!


	5. The Old Razzle Dazzle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Give 'em the old razzle-dazzle_   
>  _Razzle-dazzle 'em_   
>  _Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it_   
>  _And the reaction will be passionate_   
>  _Give 'em the old hocus pocus_   
>  _Bead and feather 'em_   
>  _How can they see with sequins in their eyes?_   
>  _What if your hinges all are rusting?_   
>  _What if, in fact, you're just disgusting?_   
>  _Razzle-dazzle 'em_   
>  _And they'll never catch wise!_

“Donald! Goofy!”

“Ven!” came the answering cry from both of them as the three burst into a new clearing.

Ven looked around, confused. “Where’s Sora?”

“Gawrsh, looks like he didn’t come with us,” Goofy said. He pointed to the wall they had entered through, which contained only three holes.

“Doggone it, I’m already getting sick of this,” Donald muttered, crossing his arms.

“Well, hey. If you’re tired, no harm in tappin’ out. ‘Cept you, popsicle. You’ve got a job to do.”

The three turned as one to spy another man standing in the back of the area. He hadn’t even bothered to put his hood up.

Wayward Wind flashed into Ven’s hand. “Braig!” he snarled, as Goofy and Donald summoned their own weapons.

“It’s actually ‘Xigbar’ at the moment,” Xigbar said, rolling his neck. “Names are really important, you know. Can tell you a lot about a guy.”

“Why are you doing this? What’s in it for you?” Ven challenged.

Xigbar rolled his eyes. “What, you think I’m just gonna _tell_ you that straight up? As _if_. Gonna have to work a bit harder than that if you want answers, kiddo.”

“Answers to what?” Ven asked, hiding his confusion through anger.

Xigbar smirked. “I’ve been in this game a _long_ time, kid. Longer than you expect. Well, maybe not you _personally_. But longer than most. I know things.”

“What sort of things?” Ven asked.

“Look, kiddo, you gotta listen better,” Xigbar said. “You want answers, you gotta _work_ for them.” He snapped his fingers.

The ground rumbled. Before their eyes, the walls of the area shook and blurred, changing shape into something new and different. “What is this?” Ven gasped.

“He did this when we fought him with Sora!” Donald said. “Just keep on him!”

The area grew several pillars out of the ground, with the ground itself sinking in places to create a multi-tiered space. Xigbar appeared again out of nowhere, standing upside down on empty air. “Well, I mean, you can _try_ that,” he said, smirking. “Might be harder than you think.”

Donald let out a blast of Thundara at him, which Xigbar shrugged off. “Hey, now, play nice,” he chided. “It’s just me and the kid that’s got to clash, remember?”

“We don’t _care_ what you want to do!” Donald said, fury in his voice. Beside him, Goofy nodded.

“That so?” Xigbar considered this. “Well… I suppose we don’t really need you two, considering. Take a time out.”

“What’s that supposed to – Gwah!” Two square holes opened up in the ground beneath Donald and Goofy. The duck and dog fell through them, Goofy letting out a long “Yaaaaaaa-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!” There was no sound of an impact, nor was his scream cut off before echoing away.

“Donald! Goofy!” Ven cried in shock. Obviously there was no response.

“Eh, they’ll be fine. They bounce,” Xigbar said dismissively. “So, anyway, how’ve you been, kiddo? It’s been a while.”

Ven responded with a blast of Blizzara. “I see the nap didn’t fix your temper,” Xigbar said, sidestepping. “Although oversleeping is just as bad for you as undersleeping, come to think of it. Seven or eight hours, that’s best.”

“I don’t need or want _life advice_ from you!” Ven shouted.

“You sure? You should respect your elders, kiddo. Especially when we’ve been around for a while.” Xigbar dodged back out of the way of Ven’s Keyblade. “Look, look, I’m sure you’re quite proud of your choreography, but it’s very rude to try to hit a guy while he’s trying to talk.”

“I thought we were supposed to _fight?!_ ” Ven growled.

“Oh, true. Very fair point,” Xigbar said, and whirled, spraying Ven’s general area with arrows. Ven dodged out of the way, knocking back a couple that chased after him with his Keyblade.

Xigbar vanished and reappeared in mid-air, with a cheery “‘R’ for ‘reload”!” His arrowguns clicked back into place, and a new rain of projectiles followed Ven as he dodged between pillars.

The next volley caught Ven off balance, Xigbar having teleported to the other side of the area when he wasn’t looking, trapping him against a pillar. Ven spun his Keyblade, extending it out into its partisan spear form. He let out a sigh of relief, having blocked or caught all of the arrows along the length of the weapon. “Maybe a shield would be a good idea,” he murmured to himself. He’d have to make a mental note to ask Terra about it after.

Because there _would_ be an after. He’d make sure of it.

“Well, now, you’re getting stronger, aren’t you?” Xigbar asked. “Might even make Keyblade Master this time. Despite your track record. Third time’s the charm, eh?”

“Shut up!” Ven yelled, pushing off of the wall and rocketing towards him.

“Oh, so is _that_ where Roxas gets it?” Xigbar mused. “Yeah, makes sense.” He caught the swipe of Ven’s spear on his arrowgun and turned it aside. “Bad idea, kiddo,” he said, bringing the other arrowgun up to Ven’s chest.

The blast of projectiles tossed Ven back. Coughing, he cast a quick Curaga over himself, healing the damage.

Above him, Xigbar was still in mid-air. “Ah, this reload time is _exhilarating_ ,” he said, grinning.

“Why are you even _doing_ this?” Ven shouted, panting. “What’s in it for you?”

“You asked me that already, you know,” Xigbar noted. “Eh, what the hell, I said ‘earn it’ and I guess what you’ve done so far counts. Not like it’s the biggest secret I’ve got. Old Norty’s promised to give me that Keyblade of his. Can you picture it? Me, a Keyblade wielder?”

“It doesn’t work like that!” Ven growled. “You have to be _worthy!_ ”

“Oh, I’m worthy,” Xigbar said, smirking. “I can guarantee it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ven said, glaring at him.

Xigbar chuckled. “Oh, now, don’t say _that_. You’d be surprised at the things I know. Especially about _you_ , kiddo. How _is_ your memory doing?”

“My memory’s _fine_ ,” Ven hissed.

“Oh, really? As _if_. Way I heard it, you’ve still got a massive hole,” Xigbar said.

“What could you _possibly_ know about me?” Ven challenged.

“Lots of stuff. Like I said, been in this game a _while_. And I pay attention,” Xigbar said, smirking. “There’s a lot of little details that might slip by you while you’re looking in the wrong direction.” He jumped backwards, on top of one of the pillars, and regarded Ven, shaking his head. “You spend so much time trying to put the puzzle pieces together when the guy across the table is actually setting up for chess. No wonder the pieces keep changing on you. No wonder you can’t make a picture. Newsflash, kiddo: sometimes there isn’t one yet.”

“Yet?” Ven asked, curious despite himself.

Xigbar shrugged. “Hey, we write a new chapter every day. ‘Course, some would say everything’s already written.”

“I don’t believe that,” Ven said, changing his spear back into a Keyblade. “We all make choices, every day of our lives. To say that everything’s already written… it would mean those choices don’t _matter_. And I can’t believe that. I _won’t_ believe that.”

“You can believe whatever you want; it doesn’t change the facts, kiddo,” Xigbar said. “And the fact is something you might believe is true is simply a well-thought-out and planned ruse.”

“Maybe so,” Ven said. “But _my_ choices? _My_ actions? I can trust _myself_. And I can trust my friends.”

“You’re a real sanctimonious little twerp, aren’t you?” Xigbar asked, bored. “Yeah, sure, you choose what you do. But sometimes thing don’t go to plan. I mean, look at what we’re doing right now. You think this would be happening if everything had always gone according to plan?”

“Doesn’t that mean the future isn’t written, if plans can fail?” Ven challenged.

Xigbar smirked. “Depends on whose plan it is, kiddo. And how good they are at rewrites on the fly when things unexpectedly change.” He abruptly vanished from his perch and the area around Ven shifted again. This time, it was a single large pillar in the middle of a giant pit. Ven hoped Donald and Goofy were all right.

“Still, this should bring back some memories, shouldn’t it? Standing with your friends against the Darkness, giving your all to prevent a tragedy… and ultimately failing because you weren’t strong enough? Your life just keeps coming back around again, doesn’t it, kid?” Xigbar’s voice echoed out of nowhere.

“Shut _up!_ ” Ven commanded.

Xigbar’s disembodied voice sighed. “You’ve really gotta work on your comebacks, kiddo.”

Ven grit his teeth. Xigbar was being infuriating on purpose; he had to be. No one was that much of a jerk by accident. So the question was, why?

He was being kept off-balance, Ven realized. He was _reacting_ , not _acting._ Xigbar’s weapon needed to be aimed. Xigbar needed to be in a place where he could aim from. Xigbar needed Ven to be in a place he could see him from. And this new configuration was perfect for it.

Ven shifted his Keyblade back to a spear. Xigbar was watching him, from somewhere, he was sure. All he had to do was find him.

Shouldn’t be too hard. Ven was hard-pressed to find someone who so loved the sound of his own voice. Except maybe Xehanort.

“What makes you think you know anything about me?” he yelled into the void.

“I ask questions and get answers, kiddo. We did used to work for the same guy, after all,” came the response. Instead of paying attention to the words, Ven focused on where they were coming from. “We have _quite_ the shared history, you and I. Lots of parallels. And you’ve forgotten it all. Well, I guess _some_ things need to be a surprise. It’s more dramatic that way. Plus, you’ve forgotten everything you did way back when. Trust me, that’s a good thing. Those memories wouldn’t be pleasant.” As Xigbar prattled on, Ven grinned.

There.

Ven cast Haste on himself, turned, and threw the spear.

There was a “hurk” as Xigbar’s monologue was cut off, then the area changed back to normal. Ven’s Keyblade came sailing back to his hand, and Xigbar stepped out of the shadows, clutching his chest.

“Clever little _sneak_ ,” he said, looking and sounding almost proud. He frowned. “Feel like I’ve said that before.” He shrugged. “Ah, whatever. Give it long enough and you’ll say everything there is to say all over again.” As he spoke, his aura flared and dissipated. Ven’s flared as well, but remained. “Huh. Looks like time’s up.”

“What do you mean?” Ven asked, his Keyblade still at the ready.

“Aura’s gone,” Xigbar answered, waving at himself. “Means my part’s done. χ–blade contribution complete.” He waved a hand towards the middle of the labyrinth, and Ven turned to see a familiar shape hanging in the air. “Still quite a ways to go, but it’s getting there. But I’m done.”

“What do you mean _done_?” Ven asked, incredulous.

Xigbar scoffed. “What, like you thought I was gonna lay down my life for the old man’s plan? As _if_.” He thought for a moment, then seemed to realize something. “Oh, yeah. These belong to you.” He snapped his fingers.

Two squares opened up in midair, and Donald and Goofy fell out through them, impacting the ground hard enough to bounce. “Told you so,” Xigbar said, shrugging. “Well, I’m out. Don’t go doing anything stupid, kiddo. Or, do. I’m not a cop. Anymore.” With that, a Dark Corridor opened behind him, and Xigbar was gone.

As soon as it closed, Ven ran over to Donald and Goofy, helping them to their feet. “Have you two been falling this whole time?” he asked.

“Gawrsh, I think so,” Goofy said.

“Where is he? Lemme at him!” Donald said, brandishing his stave.

“Xigbar left,” Ven said, grumpily. “All he wanted to do was ‘clash’ to help form the χ–blade. That and… he said a lot of weird stuff. About knowing things about me.”

“About you?” Donald asked.

“About the things I can’t remember,” Ven said, subdued.

There was a moment of silence.

“Aw, hogwash,” Goofy declared.

“Huh?” Ven and Donald both asked.

“Hogwash. What could Xigbar possibly know about ya?” Goofy asked.

“Xehanort might have told him things,” Ven said, doubtfully.

“All right, but consider this,” said Goofy. “Yer past doesn’t really matter, Ven.”

“What are you talking about?” Donald asked.

“I mean, ya know who you are _right now_ ,” Goofy said. “So all that matters is where you go from here. You’ve got friends, you’ve got a family, you know who ‘Ventus’ is right now. It doesn’t matter who you were before. And besides,” he added. “Xigbar was prolly makin’ things up ta mess with ya. Why should we trust him to tell the truth about stuff like that?”

Slowly, Ven nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense.” He sighed. “Thanks, Goofy.”

“Aw, anytime.”

Donald cleared his throat. “Thank you, too, Donald,” Ven said, although Donald hadn’t really done anything.

“Not that,” Donald said. “We need to be moving along.” He gestured to the now-familiar holes in the opposite wall.

Ven sighed. “Right.” He made for his entrance, but stopped upon feeling Donald’s wing (hand?) on his arm.

“If you really want answers about your past, all of us would help you look for them, if you want,” Donald said.

Ven smiled. “I know. But I want to wait to think about that until after this. And like Goofy said, I know who I am right now. And that’s what really matters.” He turned towards the entryway, and set off through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Give 'em the old razzle-dazzle_  
>  _Razzle-dazzle 'em_  
>  _Give 'em a show that's so splendiferous_  
>  _Row after row will grow vociferous_  
>  _Give 'em the old flim-flam flummox_  
>  _Fool and fracture 'em_  
>  _How can they hear the truth above the roar?_  
>  _Throw 'em a fake and a finagle_  
>  _They'll never know you're just a bagel_  
>  _Razzle-dazzle 'em_  
>  _And they'll beg you for more!_  
>  I do love that song a lot, even though it wasn't until writing this chapter that I discovered it was from the musical Chicago. Here's the version from the movie with [Richard Gere](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OfT8y9XqjA), and version from one of the stage productions with the late [Jerry Orbach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sasH9TV7lsw) (whom you may know better as Lumière), but the version I'm most attached to (which sadly doesn't have the second verse) is this version with the inestimable [Joel Gray](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvt-3ecFj5g)... and the Muppets. Frankly, this song does inform my writing style and presentation quite a bit.  
> Speaking of which, let's actually talk about the chapter! Boy, that Xigbar sure is doing Xigbar things, huh? :D ...And honestly that's actually about all I can say about it. I have plans, and to discuss ol' Xiggy Stardust further would risk spoiling them. Time will tell.  
> One things I want to make perfectly clear, though, is that this chapter was written well before Re:Mind. With that in mind, and I'll try to stay vague to keep to my no-spoilers-in-the-notes rule, I am not actively trying to imply anything about Ventus back in KHUx. If you don't know why I feel the need to specify that, suffice to say that there's indications that the story of KHUx might be going in an odd (read: stupid) direction as regards Ventus and Vanitas. Personally, I don't think canon will go the way of the presumed worst case scenario; I was expecting them to be lazy and have Lauriam be a villain just because Marluxia was, and they didn't do that. So I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt in this case. Regardless, I've pretty much made the decision to ignore what happens in KHUx completely until A) the story of KHUx is done, and/or B) I start working on the bits of this AU having to do with the Foretellers and the Dandelions and such. Which will not be for a _very_ long time. And when that time comes, it'll be more picking and stealing from canon rather than bending over backwards to Arc Weld into it. (And, let's be real. It's a completely valid interpretation to say that Xigbar is spewing hot bullshit just to get inside Ven's head. How could he know about Ven's past, anyway, right? ;) )  
> I think that's everything of note! Next week, we have another unrevealed Nort... but I will be very surprised if none of you saw this one coming. Time to open up some closets and find some skeletons...  
> Until then!


	6. Skeletons

Riku wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but upon reflection, being attacked the very second he stepped out into the open shouldn’t really have been a surprise.

The hooded figure flipped backwards, landing on their feet as both theirs and Riku’s auras flared. They lifted their arm and a familiar bat-winged blade into an equally familiar ready stance.

Riku stood his ground, his Keyblade ready, but not threatening. “I was wondering if you would be here,” he said to the figure. “Now my only question is if you’re from back then, or if I was right and you didn’t really die.”

The figure removed his hood. “Now why would you care about something like that?” asked the Riku Replica. “You’re the one who _killed_ _me_ , remember?” Golden eyes shone from Riku’s own fifteen-year-old face, contorted in fury.

“You don’t seem dead to me,” Riku countered. “And I’m glad about that. You deserved to be more than what the Organization made you to be. You still do.”

The Replica scoffed. “‘Deserve’? Don’t talk to me about what I ‘deserve’. I’m just a _fake_.”

The pain in his voice tugged at something deep in Riku’s heart. He’d heard it before. He’d heard it from Xion, from Roxas, from Vanitas, even from Naminé.

And he wouldn’t stand for it now.

“I don’t think that’s true,” he said. “You might have been created to be a copy of me, but you aren’t. Not anymore. We’re different people now. You’re not the real _me_ , but you’re the real _you_.”

“You make it sound so damn _simple_ ,” the Replica sneered. “What exactly am I if not a pale imitation of you?”

“Whatever you want to be. _Who_ ever you want to be,” Riku said with complete sincerity.

The Replica lowered his sword, in consideration. “You know what, Riku? That’s a real nice sentiment. It’s just a shame that everything I ever wanted – _you_ took away from me!” He lunged forwards, and Riku barely got his Keyblade up in time.

Riku grunted with the effort of holding the shorter boy back. “What did I take away from you? I didn’t _want_ to send you to the Realm of Darkness. _You_ attacked _me_.”

“Oh, this isn’t about _that_ ,” the Replica hissed. “Do you know how long I was in there?”

“Three years,” Riku said.

“That’s what they told me,” the Replica agreed. “But do you have any idea how long it was for _me?_ ”

This gave Riku pause. “Right… time doesn’t flow the same way in there,” he said. “For Aqua, it was a day that lasted twelve years. It was only three years for you, so…?”

“ _Four hours,_ Riku. I was only gone for _four hours_ ,” the Replica snarled. “And in all that time, you all moved on without me. I hear you even went in to save this Aqua woman. But not _me_. So tell me, how much do you _really_ care about me?”

“I… I didn’t…” Riku stumbled.

“You just said you _suspected!_ ” the Replica barked. “But you didn’t _look!_ Easier to write me off as just a fake, right? Just disposable?”

“How was I supposed to find you?” Riku demanded. “We got lucky with Aqua! We almost missed her completely!”

“I thought hearts were supposed to connect to those you care about?” the Replica sneered. “It’s how I know you don’t _care_ , Riku. And why should you?”

“You aren’t disposable to me!” Riku swore. While their blades had been locked, the dark aura surrounding the Replica had dissipated. “You’re your own person!”

“And that didn’t stop you from taking everything I wanted while I was gone!” the Replica hissed.

“Taking _what?!_ ” Riku demanded.

“ _She is not a ‘what’!_ ” the Replica shrieked, and shoved, pushing Riku back.

Riku slid to a stop, thrusting his Keyblade into the ground to slow himself. “This is about… Naminé?” he asked, incredulous.

“Who _else?!_ ” the Replica demanded. “Protecting Naminé is all that matters to me. All that _ever_ mattered to me. And you’ve taken that away. You think you’re enough to protect her instead? I don’t think that’s likely!”

“I… have no idea what you’re talking about,” Riku said, standing up. “Naminé doesn’t need me to protect her. She can protect _herself_.”

“And now that just sounds like you’re skimping out on your responsibilities to her,” the Replica accused.

Riku blinked. “Responsibilities?”

“Oh, _please_. You lived with her for a year, or so I’m told. What am I _supposed_ to think, Real Thing?” the Replica sneered.

Riku blinked again. “Are you… are you saying… Look, we’re not–!”

“I don’t want to hear it!” the Replica shouted, and lunged for Riku again. There was anger in his swings, and although Riku had grown more skilled as time had passed, he was still hard-pressed to keep up.

“You need to calm down and listen to me!” he grunted. “Naminé and I–”

“Shut _UP!_ ”

“We aren’t–”

“I don’t _CARE!_ ”

“Would you just _listen_ –”

“ _NO!”_

“STOPGA!”

Both boys froze in place. Riku was at just enough of an angle that he could look back at the wall he’d entered from, seeing an additional exit that he’d missed the first time.

Through it stepped Naminé.

“Riku, what’s…” She took two steps forward and froze upon seeing the other person. “…Riku?”

“Naminé?” the Replica asked, struggling against the spell. “What… what are you doing here?” His eyes, full of fury, sought out Riku. “I can’t believe you let her come to a _battlefield,_ you complete _moron_. She’s not _safe_ here! She–”

“I have no say over what Naminé does and doesn’t do, you blockhead!” Riku tossed back at him. “I don’t know where you got this idea into your head, but Naminé and I aren’t a _couple!_ ”

This seemed to shake Naminé out of her bluescreen. “You… he… what?” she asked weakly.

“Bull _shit_!” the Replica snarled. “Of course you are! You’re me!”

“You’re not me, I’m me!” Riku said, getting frustrated. “We’ve been _over_ this!” Suddenly the meaning of the Replica’s words became clear. “Wait, do you… Oh. _Oh._ ”

“Riku, what is this?” Naminé asked. “Is he… from the past?”

“No. He didn’t die in Castle Oblivion,” Riku said. “He’s been trapped in the Realm of Darkness since we fought. Xehanort must’ve pulled him back out.” The Stop spell broke. Riku stumbled backwards, shaking out the weird feeling in his limbs.

Naminé cautiously took a step towards the Replica. “Riku,” she said, quietly, “is this true?”

The Replica nodded, stiffly. “He told me everything I needed to know. About you, about what happened… about _him_.” He jutted his chin towards Riku, bitterness in his voice.

“Did he tell you Riku and I were together?” Naminé asked. Her tone was gentle, and that made it all the worse.

“No,” the Replica admitted. “I… I thought…”

“Riku is in a relationship with Sora and Kairi,” Naminé said, firmly. “I’m unattached.”

There was a light of something resembling hope in the Replica’s eyes. “Then… Naminé, I need to tell you. I l–”

“And I’m sorry, but I’m not attracted to men,” Naminé finished.

The sound of the hope shattering was almost audible. “What?” the Replica said, weakly.

Naminé looked down at her feet, took a breath, and looked back up at his eyes. “I’m only attracted to girls. I’ve always been that way, even if I didn’t have words for it when I first came into being. I’m sorry. I do know how you feel; but I can’t respond to those feelings in the way you want me to. And I know what this is going to do to your heart. I wish I didn’t have to hurt you like this; but I can’t change how I am.”

There were tears in the corners of both their eyes. “But… everything we shared…” the Replica said, quietly, and the hurt in his voice almost tore Naminé apart.

She took another breath. “That’s also part of the problem. None of that was _real_ , Riku. Everything that you remember, before the Castle… I made it all up. From Sora’s memories of himself, Kairi, and the other Riku. Your memories aren’t even about _me_ , really. I just put myself in in place of someone else. And… and that being the case…” Her voice broke, but she rallied herself and continued. “That being the case, even if I was capable of being attracted to you, I wouldn’t be able to _let_ myself. I hurt you. I hurt you more than should be possible to hurt another person. And I have no idea how much of your feelings are genuine, and how many are the result of me messing things around in your heart. I could never know for sure. I’m sorry, Riku. But this can’t happen. _We_ can’t happen.” Her lips twisted into a half-hearted smile. “And I need you to understand that you didn’t do anything wrong. This isn’t your fault. This isn’t some kind of punishment. I’m just not capable of giving you what you want from me, even if I wanted to do so. And…” she swallowed, and the smile faded. “I don’t want to do so, to begin with. I’m so sorry.”

The tears fell, fast, hot, and heavy, from the Replica’s face. Naminé felt like a knife had been thrust in her gut. She knew exactly how he was feeling, and it was one of the most painful things imaginable.

The Replica gritted his teeth. “So everything I kept living for… was a lie,” he said, slowly.

“Not a lie,” Naminé insisted. “Wherever they came from, your feelings are real. I wish I didn’t have to hurt you; but telling you a lie, leading you on, would hurt you even worse.”

“For my own good, huh,” the Replica muttered. “I think… I’m getting sick and tired of other people deciding what’s ‘good’ for me!” As he spoke, his tone raised to a shout, and Darkness began wrapping around him like a cloak.

“Naminé, get back!” Riku cried, reaching out for her, but she sidestepped his arm and stepped forwards.

“Riku… please, let me clean up the mess I made. This is my fault; I know,” she said, seeing the look on his face, “not entirely. Not fully. But I hurt him.”

“Naminé, being gay when a boy has a crush on you is in no way your problem,” Riku started, but Naminé shook her head.

“I mean messing with his memories in the first place. Warping his heart to the point where this hurt him,” she said. “That _is_ my fault. Let me try to atone for what I did wrong. Please.”

Gritting his teeth, Riku stepped back. Naminé turned back towards the Replica, now dripping with Darkness, and summoned her Keyblade.

The Replica’s eyes widened. “Why do you have a _Keyblade?_ ” he demanded.

“I have the ability to wield a Keyblade because Kairi has the ability to wield a Keyblade,” Naminé said. “But I have this Keyblade because I made the choice to stand and fight. For myself. For those I care about. For anyone who needs to be protected.” She readied her stance and took a deep breath. “For the same reasons you decided to protect me. Not because of some made-up promise. But because I can’t stand by and watch the people I love get hurt.”

“But you can hurt me just fine,” the Replica jeered.

Naminé shook her head. “Not willingly. Because of circumstances no one can control. And I’m sorry.”

The Replica’s lip twisted. “You know what?” There was a muffled sob hidden in his voice. “I don’t _care_.” He raised his sword, and pointed it at Naminé.

Twin streams of Darkness erupted out of the mass cloaking his body and shot towards Naminé, who ducked out of the way. She stabbed her Keyblade into one of them, freezing it solid with a Blizzard spell.

The Replica grit his teeth and sent more after her.

Naminé danced around the area, pursued by strands of Darkness that she froze one after the other. Two rushed towards her, and with a terrified squeak she cast Slow, impeding their progress just enough to escape.

“Enough!” the Replica barked, and a large pool of Darkness shot forwards over the ground, engulfing Naminé. Dozens of tendrils rose up and collapsed in on top of her.

“No!” Riku yelled, reaching out a useless hand, trying to push them back with his own darkness, but the Replica turned to him and sent out a stream that pushed him against the wall. Sputtering, Riku could do nothing but stare in horror at Naminé’s prison.

There was a cracking sound, and the morass of Darkness covering her turned to ice.

“What?” the Replica gasped. The tendrils cracked, and shattered, and out stepped Naminé, unharmed, covered in the icy blue aura of the Diamond Dust Command Style.

“Riku, please,” she said, calmly. “Enough.”

“No! No, you… this can’t… you can’t be…” There was fury on the Replica’s face, but also fear.

“I don’t need to rely on others to protect me anymore,” Naminé said. “I haven’t for a while now. But, if you’ll stay with us, I would like to be your friend. For real this time.”

It was the wrong thing to say. “You don’t… need me?” the Replica repeated. She hadn’t said it, but had been hoping he’d miss the implication. Unfortunately, he hadn’t. “Well, then I don’t need _you!_ I don’t need _ANYONE!_ ”

There was a rumbling, and the Darkness covering the Replica grew. More tendrils sprouted, along with free-floating globules of Darkness. Riku struggled against his bonds, but it would take time for his own darkness to eat through them. “Naminé!” he called.

“I’m fine, Riku,” she said, with a calmness she couldn’t possibly be feeling. “I have this.” She broke into a run.

Tendrils lashed at her; she froze them solid with her Command Style. Using the frozen tendrils as a footstool, she jumped into the air, making contact with one of the dark spheres, stabbing her Keyblade into its centre. Whipping it back out, Memory’s Embrace glowed and shifted, becoming smaller. Riku was confused for a second, before he remembered – Naminé’s Keyblade was also a gun.

There was a sharp report, and another tendril froze solid. Naminé landed on it, sliding carefully, taking aim at the other floating globs of Darkness and knocking them out of the sky. She flipped off the end of the tendril and landed, a little shakily, on the ground.

“If that’s how things are… then you should both just _die!_ ” the Replica screamed, and the Darkness burst forth like a wave, engulfing the area in black-purple ooze.

Riku, having absorbed enough of the Darkness to free himself, flipped forwards into Flowmotion, heading for a safe area on the side of the rock wall. This wasn’t good. The Replica’s screams were those of pain.

He was overextending.

If he went much further the Darkness would consume him from the inside out.

So worried was he about his other that it almost didn’t occur to him that Naminé didn’t know Flowmotion.

“Oh, _shit, Naminé!_ ” he gasped, and turned to look at the blonde girl, praying she hadn’t been caught in the morass.

She hadn’t.

With enough room to jump, Naminé had thrown her Keyblade, still in its pistol form, into the spreading Darkness. She landed on the back of it, and it fired, both freezing the Darkness solid in a small area beneath her, and propelling her back into the air. At her call, Memory’s Embrace dislodged itself and returned to her hand, where she threw it again, into another swell of Darkness. She landed, fired, and launched with the recoil again and again, growing steadily closer to the Replica.

The Replica himself was in bad shape, the Darkness cloaking him now looking more like it was eating at him, absorbing him. There was pain on his face and in his voice; they needed to get him out of there _now_.

Naminé had it covered.

She leapt one more time, rising up in front of the Replica’s astonished eyes. Her Keyblade flew back into her hand. She brought it back over her head, hanging in the air, and fired. The recoil pushed her forwards, gun changing back into Keyblade as she went, and she impacted the Replica with a massive blow that pushed him out of his own pool of Darkness.

A large blast of ice suffused the area, and when it cleared, the Darkness was fading, its connection to the Replica severed. Riku slid down off the wall, stunned.

The Replica was lying on the ground in a familiar pool of dark energy, one hand clasped in both of Naminé’s. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Tears streaked the Replica’s face, trailing from now-cerulean eyes. “I love you,” he whispered back.

Naminé’s tears matched his. “I know,” she said, sadly. “I don’t feel the same way.”

The Replica gave a muffled sob, but nodded. “I guess you don’t really need me… after all.”

“That’s not true,” Riku said, stepping closer. “We want you here, with us.”

“I was serious,” Naminé added. “I would like to be your friend. For real this time.”

The Replica smiled, bitterly. “A little late for that now, wouldn’t you say?” His legs had already sunk into the void; falling back into the Realm of Darkness.

Riku shook his head. “Not necessarily.” He leaned down and whispered something in the Replica’s ear.

The Replica’s eyes widened. “Are… are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” Riku said, and pressed the hilt of his Keyblade into the Replica’s free hand. “But, just in case.”

The Replica gripped it like a lifeline, then let it go. The ghost of a smirk crossed his lips. “What, you really think I’m worthy?”

“If I am, then you are,” Riku said, firmly. “We’re not the same person, but we’re very close. It’s there, waiting for you. Then, just look for us.”

The Replica laughed. “All right. Let’s give it a shot.” He turned his head to Naminé. “Naminé… I’m sorry. I know I hurt you, too.”

“No, you didn’t,” Naminé said, but the Replica shook his head.

“I can see it in your eyes. If you can apologize, so can I, for putting you in that position. All I want… all I’ve ever wanted… is for you to be happy.” He smiled through the tears in his eyes. “And I hope that you find someone who can bring you happiness. Whoever _she_ is.”

Naminé sniffed, and squeezed his hand tighter. “Let’s not say goodbye, okay?” the Replica said. “This isn’t goodbye.”

“How about… ‘see you later?’” Riku proposed.

“Sounds good,” said the Replica. His face fell. “I don’t know… how long it’s going to take me to find it.”

“No matter how long, we’ll still be there for you,” Naminé promised. “You’ll always have a place with both of us. Even if… it’s not the place you want,” she added, subdued.

The Replica squeezed her hand. “Then that’s my problem to figure out how to deal with,” he said. He looked down, noting that most of his body had sunk through. “Looks like this is it.”

“See you later,” Riku said.

“See you later,” Naminé echoed.

The Replica nodded. “See you two later. Take care of each other… and yourselves.”

With that, the darkness engulfed him, and Riku and Naminé were alone in the clearing.

“Naminé?” Riku asked, but before he could say anything more, she collapsed into his arms, sobbing.

He let her cry, patting her back gently, rocking slightly, murmuring soothing words in her ear. Eventually, her tears devolved into small sniffs.

“Naminé, I hate to ask this, but are you all right?” Riku said, gently.

“Yeah,” she mumbled.

Riku looked at her. She was trying to convince him, very hard, that she wasn’t just putting on a brave face.

It wasn’t working. “No you’re not, come here,” he said, and pulled her back into a tight hug as her sobbing started anew.

“I feel like shit,” she said, when she’d regained her voice.

“I know,” Riku said, rubbing her shoulder. “There’s no simple and clean solution to this.”

Naminé sighed. “At least he has a second chance. I just wish we could’ve helped him now.”

“We’ll be there for him when he gets back,” Riku said. “We all will.”

“I just… I want him to be happy, too. Just… not with me,” Naminé said.

“I know,” Riku said, squeezing her tight. “And I think he knows that, too.”

They sat there in silence for a minute or two before Naminé shifted. “We need to get going. The others need us.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Riku asked, letting her rise to her feet.

“No, Riku, I’m not okay. But I’m not going to be okay any time soon, and we have a job to do,” she said, pulling him to his feet alongside her.

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s press on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Repliku will return.**
> 
> There's a funny story behind this fight. See, some of the matchups we're having aren't what I initially planned. (for example, last week Xigbar was supposed to fight _Aqua_. But then KH3 dropped and I had a vested reason for him to fight Ven instead. Plus, by that point I had decided I wanted to do a faux Master-Apprentice fight against Dooku with Aqua and Kairi, and you get the idea. Things changed around.) Initially, this was only supposed to be Riku vs Repliku. This changed for two reasons. First, Riku vs Repliku is almost _too_ obvious.   
> Second, I was looking through my matchups and I realized that _Naminé wasn't set to fight against ANYONE_.  
> Naturally, that couldn't stand. (Once we get down to the final few Norts the fights will have more people involved; Naminé has some important shit to do then, but she didn't have any personal fights). (And yes, this means this is the last we'll see of Naminé for a while. Don't worry, we'll catch back up with her eventually).  
> So once I decided that this would be Naminé vs Repliku (and Riku, because Nam's not a Guardian and we still needed a clash), I had to convince myself not to title it "She's Just Not That Into You". Because I already knew I was going to be shattering Repliku's heart, and I saw no reason to kick him while he's down by mocking him via the title. So, "Skeletons", as in those in the proverbial closet. Both Riku's and Naminé's.  
> It was very important to me that I not write Repliku as the creepy stalker ex, especially since his crush on Naminé appears to be canonical (as canonical as romantic feelings are ever confirmed to be in Kingdom Hearts, anyway) per KH3. Since this AU technically splits off after BBS 0.2 (with the KHUx rider we discussed last week), this Repliku did have a genuine crush on Naminé as well. I had already decided to bring him back before I looked carefully over their relationship, and realized that by making Naminé gay, I had locked out any potential romance between the two of them. And I'm not regretting my decision as regards Naminé's sexuality (I'm gonna make all y'all ship Naminé/Vanille and y'all're gonna _like it_ ) but it did mean this was going to be... messy. But I didn't want to make it sound like someone was in the wrong here. Repliku is not wrong to have developed feelings for Naminé. And Naminé is not wrong for not being capable or desirous of returning those feelings. If there is someone in the wrong here, it's me for the Simple and Clean pun.   
> Oh, and if you're wondering why he's never referred to as "Repliku" in the chapter, as it turns out, canon never calls him that. He either gets called "Riku" or "the Replica". (Except in the German translation, or so I hear, where they do legitimately just call him "Repliku"). So, I kept it consistent. Figuring out a name will be something he might look into when he gets back... whenever that will be. (By which I mean I already have one, and I do not need suggestions. Thank you anyway.)  
> I think that about covers it, yes I was watching RWBY prior to writing this chapter, yes I had "This Life Is Mine" on loop. Next week, we're checking back in with Roxas, Xion, and Xemnas, and we'll see how that's turning out. Can't be going all _that_ badly, right?  
> Right?


	7. Unlucky Number Thirteen

“It’s inspiring, really.”

“What is?” Roxas growled.

Xemnas smiled. “How capable the two of you have become.”

Xion parried a slashing attack and tried to pretend her arms weren’t already shaking. Xemnas’s guard was like iron. “Fuck off,” she spat.

“I am quite serious,” Xemnas said, nonchalantly. “It is truly impressive considering where the two of you started. It will not be _enough_ , of course, but it is still admirable.” He shoved, roughly, and Xion flew backwards, landing on her back at Roxas’s feet.

“Xion?” he asked, bending down to her while keeping his eyes locked on Xemnas.

“I’m fine,” she said, struggling to her feet. They’d made no headway, and both were getting extremely annoyed at the way that Xemnas was clearly toying with them.

“You in particular, Xion,” he continued. “When last I saw you, I saw only Sora. And yet now, you have an identity, a face, a voice of your own. It is truly wonderful. I am happy on your behalf.”

“Fuck _off!_ ” Xion hissed. “Don’t pretend you give a shit about _either_ of us!”

Xemnas raised an eyebrow. “Is it truly so hard to believe that I honestly cared about my subordinates, even back then?”

“You didn’t have a _fucking heart!_ ” Roxas yelled.

Xemnas blinked. “Ah. I must admit, you have a point. However, now that I am capable of such emotions, I can admit to a bit of… nostalgia, for those times. Things were simpler, then.”

“You lied to me for a year, treated Xion like a piece of property, and set us against each other hoping one of us would die!” Roxas said.

Xemnas shrugged. “And things were much simpler.”

Roxas rushed forwards with a yell, slicing downwards. Xemnas caught his Keyblade on one Ethereal Blade, smirking. Roxas’s eyes narrowed, and his Keyblade glowed, splitting back into its twin-sword form. Holding the blade lock with his right hand, Roxas swung his left at Xemnas, only to be blocked by the other blade.

“Ah, Roxas,” he said, sighing. “Always so impatient. Always so quick to rush in.” He leaned forwards, and Roxas gasped. Occasionally he forgot the very important detail that Xemnas was simply more massive than he was. The man loomed, and Roxas was pushed back a step.

Then suddenly shoved back as Xemnas whirled to catch Xion’s Keyblade before it sliced across his back. “You must realize this is useless,” he said, lazily. “A mere distraction. I have a role to perform in the construction of the χ–blade.”

“Then what’s the point of this?!” Xion hissed. Her greatsword shook just as badly as Roxas’s swords had. Xemnas was entirely unmoved, holding her on a single blade. “Why are you here?!”

Xemnas’s lips curled into a smile. “Because it amuses me.”

Roxas growled and lunged forwards, only to duck back as Xemnas’s other blade lanced out, passing right through the space his head had just vacated. “You in particular, Roxas, fascinate me,” Xemnas said, as if they were having a polite discussion over tea. “We’re not so dissimilar, you and I.”

“This sounds cliché as fuck, I hope you realize that,” Roxas snarled.

“An unfortunate truth,” Xemnas acknowledged. “But it is a truth. You and I, both Nobodies created without even the memories of our Somebodies. Both brought into being as blank slates, and yet… such different results.”

“The difference is, I had people around me who cared for me. Who supported me. Who–”

“Lied to you and deceived you,” Xemnas interrupted smoothly. “Who kept you in the dark until you went to find answers for yourself. Who even tried to sacrifice themselves for you, _without consulting you on the matter_.” This was directed, smugly, at Xion, who paled.

“Who tried to protect me,” Roxas finished, slowly. “Maybe with methods that weren’t okay. But they were methods that _you_ made necessary. Situations that _you_ forced them, and me, into.” He looked over at Xion, and smiled, and she let out a breath, visibly relieved. He looked back at Xemnas, glaring. “And you say you _miss_ it.”

Xemnas shrugged. “There was something I find myself unable to define that was pleasant about our old Organization. I would say a feeling of family… but only in the most dysfunctional of senses. Perhaps…” he added, grinning at Roxas, “it was the result of a familiar face calling to the parts of me that were once Terra.”

Roxas’s eyes narrowed.

“It is truly an astonishing likeness,” Xemnas continued, choosing to be oblivious. “You look just like Ventus. Except your eyes. You have _Sora’s_ eyes.”

Roxas’s teeth clenched. His hands tightened on his swords, his breath grew harsh, and… he stood completely still and did nothing.

He took a breath, held it, and released it. “You’re trying to make me angry on purpose,” he accused, relatively calmly. “You’re trying to goad me into making a mistake.”

“Ah, a pity. You realized it,” Xemnas said, with an affected sigh. “And I was so enjoying myself.”

“You know we’re going to kill you, right?” Xion threatened, circling around to stand next to Roxas once more.

Xemnas smiled. “Oh, Xion. What I know is that you’re going to _try_. It promises to be… _most amusing._ ”

“Your Majesty!”

“Hiya, fellas!” Mickey said, turning to see that Donald and Goofy had entered the area after him. “Say, have you seen any of the others?”

“We were with Ven and Sora, but then we lost Sora,” Donald said.

“Gawrsh, and it looks like we lost Ven, too,” Goofy added, looking back at the wall.

“You guys’ve already been in some scraps, huh?” Mickey asked. “I’m glad you’re all right.”

“Xigbar tossed us down a hole,” Donald grumbled. “We were falling for _thirty minutes_.”

“I don’t think it was all that long, Don,” Goofy pointed out.

Donald waved a hand. “Details.” He looked up and across the field. “Oh. Of course.”

Standing there was yet another mysterious figure in a black coat, surrounded by a purple aura.

“Any idea who this guy is?” Goofy asked.

Mickey shook his head. “Nope. He’s not talkin’ to me.”

The figure lifted a hand and pointed a finger directly at Mickey.

“Gawrsh, how dramatic!” Goofy said.

“Who does he think he is?” Donald spluttered.

“I don’t know,” Mickey said summoning his Kingdom Key D. “But it looks like he’s itchin’ to fight.”

The figure had drawn some sort of wooden stick with a patch of metal on it, and a cluster of something dark towards the business end. They were too far away to get a good look at it.

“All right, no messing around this time,” Donald said, and brandished his stave, casting Thundara towards the coated figure.

The figure lifted the rod in their hands and a stream of something erupted out of it. It met the bolts of lightning in mid-air, and without any fanfare or spectacle, the spell disappeared.

“Huh?!” Donald gasped.

“He just canceled out yer magic?” Goofy asked, equally surprised.

“What a cheat!” Donald growled.

Mickey, meanwhile, was frowning. “Gosh, why does that look familiar?”

“You asked for it!” Donald said, and launched a rapid volley of Fira, Thundaga, and Blizzara. While he did so, Goofy and Mickey rushed forwards, Goofy slightly ahead with his shield.

The figure fired more shots of whatever it was, catching each of the spells in turn and making them disappear, then turned to Mickey and Goofy. A different stream shot out of the weapon, impacting Goofy’s shield.

“Huh? What’s goin’… whoa!” Goofy yelped as his shield became heavier. He tripped forwards, off balance. “Hey, what’s this on my shield?”

A thick layer of something had coated the surface, making it heavier than Goofy could lift. He poked at it, and part of it came off on his glove. “Huh,” he said. “Paint?”

“Paint?” Mickey said, now very confused. This all seemed way too familiar. “Wait a second…”

The coated figure strode forwards. Donald attempted another spell, but was blasted with a stream of paint that partially glued him to the wall for his trouble. They lifted their hand, the paintbrush they were holding now on full view.

“Oh no,” Mickey said, his Keyblade lowering in shock. “Not… you can’t be… it can’t be _you_ …”

“Mickey.” The figure spoke. With their free hand, they tossed their hood back, revealing solid black eyes set in a white face, surrounded by black fur that was, in patches, turning silver.

Even to the tips of his tall rabbit ears.

Oswald glared at his younger brother with venom in his eyes. “ _You’re too late.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not apologizing.  
> That was all these notes were supposed to be when I first had this idea, just that one sentence _"I'm not apologizing"_. But things didn't happen quite the way I planned them out, and instead of explaining "why" I chose this Nort on the next chapter, I'm going to have to explain some other things. So, sadly, the joke (of dozens of previous notes being super detailed, and this one being just this one sentence) fell to the wayside.  
> So why Oswald? Well, as I've stated previously, I haven't played the Epic Mickey games, but I was at least _aware_ of them. And of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as a character. Like I said with Gaston, I wanted some Disney characters (and yes, Dooku counts as a Disney character for the sake of argument) as part of the Norts. Thing is, Gaston and Dooku? Barely connected to anything, if at all. That's why they were fights one and two. It would be better to have a Nort more directly connected to our main Disney people. So, I asked myself, who is a "villain" in the Mickey Mouse canon?  
> The answer was Pete, obviously, but he's busy. And then I remembered that Epic Mickey existed. I forget if I knew the plot of the first game had Oswald as an antagonist at the time, but what could be more delicious than Mickey's own, estranged, brother? Thus, I had my thirteenth Seeker (and that's the whole point of the title. You think something bad's going to happen to Roxas, Number XIII? Oh, my, no. But Seeker Number 13 has been quite _un_ Lucky indeed, hasn't he?) That was also something that was planned from the start, to make it sound like something bad was going to happen to Roxas _just_ for the sake of this title. And as for the final sentence of this chapter... I was conceptualizing my Norts around the same time that the Dark Aqua reveal trailer dropped. In terms of where this series was? Chapter 2 of Land of Oblivion. _The longest of games._  
>  I think that's about everything I want to say for now, I'll talk for a bit more about things next week when Oswald and Mickey actually have their fight. Until then!


	8. Toying With Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, I can [always make it worse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEC7tPPKAXQ).

“Oswald?” Mickey asked, weakly.

“Oswald?” Donald echoed. “Your brother?”

“Gawrsh, so he didn’t disappear with his world!” Goofy said, forgetting the circumstances in his quest for the silver lining.

“Oswald, what happened?” Mickey asked. “Why are you working for Xehanort?”

“He didn’t give me a choice,” Oswald said. “And neither did _you_.”

“Huh?” Donald and Goofy chorused.

Mickey, however, bit his lip. “Oswald, I didn’t–”

“You’re right, Mickey. You _didn’t_ ,” Oswald sneered. “You could’ve come back at any time. But you _didn’t_.”

“No, I did!” Mickey insisted. “Oswald, every chance I could get I came back to check on ya! Whenever I could! I just…”

“Then why did we never _see_ you, Mickey?” Oswald asked, fury in his voice. “You say you came back, but _I_ never saw you!”

“Gawrsh, is that why yer always late to things, your Majesty?” Goofy asked Mickey, who flushed, embarrassed.

“Oswald, I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t want to make more trouble for ya than I had to. And I thought that if I was around–”

“It didn’t _help_ ,” Oswald snarled. “Because when the Heartless came calling, Mickey, _you weren’t there!_ ”

“Heartless?” Mickey asked. He’d slumped down to a kneeling position at this point. “But… I sealed the Keyhole in the Wasteland. A long time ago. How…?”

“Xehanort,” Donald offered. “On purpose.”

Oswald nodded. “Exactly.”

“But, I don’t understand it,” Mickey said. “You should’ve been safe. That’s why I… I didn’t…”

“Why ya never showed yourself?” Oswald mocked. “Keepin’ us at an arm’s length didn’t mean people didn’t _know_ about our history, Mickey. That we were _related_. Admit it; you just didn’t want to face what happened to us. What you almost did to us. You were runnin’ from yer past mistakes! Just like always!”

“Your Majesty, what’s he talkin’ about?” Goofy asked.

Mickey swallowed. “A long time ago… I almost destroyed Oswald’s world. But I fixed it! I fixed my mistakes and learned my lesson!”

“But you still never came to visit unless we were in danger,” Oswald spat. “Only once after that. Ya say you were keepin’ an eye on us? Would’ve been nice to know you were. And it would’ve been nice to have you there when _Xehanort_ showed up.”

“What did Xehanort do, Oswald? Why are you working for him?” Mickey asked.

“He brought Heartless with him, Mickey,” Oswald said. “What do you _think_ happened?”

“But… not for nothin’, but all of you in the Wasteland, you didn’t…”

“Have hearts?” Oswald asked. “You know better than that now, dontcha?”

“People who don’t have hearts grow them given enough time,” Donald recalled.

“Gawrsh, and if you were always thinkin’ about them, going back to check on them, then…” Goofy trailed off, looking between Mickey and Oswald.

“I would thank ya for that, since ya _were_ helpin’, in a way,” Oswald sneered. “But because of that, we became vulnerable. Someone had to do _something_.”

“Something?” Mickey asked, afraid of the answer.

Oswald spread his arms. “In return for removing the Heartless from the Wasteland,” he said. “Here I am. Because _you_ weren’t there to help us when we actually _needed_ you.”

Mickey’s arms had drooped to his sides. “Oswald,” he said, helplessly, “I’m sorry.”

“Not enough. Not soon enough,” Oswald sneered.

Goofy blinked. “Oh no. Oswald, you know what happened to your world, right?”

“What? What happened to it?” Oswald asked, turning to him.

“Uh-oh,” Donald mumbled.

“Xehanort had the hearts of worlds stolen, just to send us a message,” Mickey said, slowly. “Oswald, I’m sorry, but… as far as Master Yen Sid and I can tell, the Wasteland was one of them.”

Oswald froze. “That’s… no, you’re lying. That can’t be…”

“It’s true,” Donald said, sadly.

“But, if we win, it’ll come back! Just like the worlds did before!” Goofy said, confidently.

Oswald wasn’t listening. “So… it’s all for nothin’”, he said, mostly to himself. “Ortensia… everyone…” He swivelled back to Mickey, fury in his eyes. “Then if nothing else… I can take out some frustrations,” he muttered, darkly.

“Uh… frustrations?” Mickey asked.

Oswald nodded. “For everything that’s happened to my world… and for being everything I was _supposed_ to be.” For a second, his eyes flashed a bright yellow-gold. He whipped the paintbrush forwards, blasting a stream of paint towards Mickey.

Before Mickey could react, Goofy flung himself between them with a “Your Majesty!”, his shield raised to block. The paint built up again to the point where Goofy was forced to drop it, but by that point Donald had pulled Mickey back to his feet.

“Donald… He’s right. This is all my–” Donald rapped Mickey on the head with his stave. “Ow!”

“You can feel sorry for yourself later. Right now, we need to calm him down or stop him before any of us gets hurt,” Donald said. “I thought you decided you were going to stop running from pain? That you needed to bear it in order to set things right?”

Mickey stared at him in shock, then shook himself and nodded. “You’re right. Thanks, Donald.” He resummoned his Keyblade. “Let’s do this!”

Oswald sent a blast of the unidentified liquid towards them. “That’s paint thinner!” Mickey identified. “We can’t let it touch us!” Together, he and Donald cast Aero, funneling the thinner up and away from them. Oswald growled and sent out a blast of paint, which hit Donald smack in the face.

The anatine mage fell over, squawking indignantly, and Mickey dodged another stream of paint. “Mickey! Over here!” Goofy called, and Mickey rushed over to him. Goofy readied his shield, cleaned of paint, and Mickey jumped on it. With a mighty heave, Goofy tossed Mickey towards Oswald.

Mickey brought his Keyblade down towards Oswald, and the rabbit brought his paintbrush up to block it. Their auras sparked upon the contact, and both faded away, but neither seemed to notice. “Oswald, please, stop!” Mickey cried. “We can save everyone! It’s not too late!”

“You always say that, but you’re never there in time!” Oswald hissed, pushing back against Mickey. The brothers struggled against each other, neither giving any ground. Goofy pulled Donald out of the splatter of paint, and both looked on in horror, neither wanting to seriously hurt Oswald.

So engrossed were all four that they completely missed the arrival of a fifth person in the area.

Kairi staggered out of her hole, still a bit queasy from the fight she’d just experienced, and took in the sight of a cartoonish duck and dog watching a mouse and rabbit fight over an oversized key and a paintbrush. She stepped over to Donald and Goofy and asked, “Um?”

“Kairi!” Donald squawked, surprised. “When did you get here?”

“Just now,” Kairi said. “What’s going on? Who’s the bunny?”

“This is Mickey’s brother, Oswald,” Goofy said.

“The one whose world is missing?” Kairi asked, horrified. “What’s he doing as a Seeker?”

“Sounded like blackmail to me,” Donald said, darkly.

“We don’t wanna hurt him,” said Goofy, “but he’s not givin’ us much leeway on it. He’s not happy with the King.”

“I can see that,” Kairi said, looking at the struggle. She bit her lip. “I don’t want to hurt him, either… But I think I have something I can try. Can you two hold them in place?”

Goofy nodded, but Donald frowned. “What are you gonna do?” he asked.

Kairi shrugged. “Princess of Heart nonsense.”

Donald huffed. “Well, I guess it’s worth a shot.”

Mickey and Oswald continued to struggle against each other. “Oswald, _please!_ ” Mickey said. “I never meant for any of this to happen!”

“You can’t change the fact that it _did_ happen, Mickey!” Oswald replied.

To both of their surprise, ice started to form around their feet, freezing them in place. With Oswald’s paintbrush still braced against Mickey’s Keyblade, he couldn’t fire off a blast of thinner to free himself.

As soon as Donald’s Blizzaga landed, Kairi ran towards the two Glires, grabbing each one by the shoulder. “Mickey, Oswald,” she said, “ _stop_.”

Mickey blinked. The world had gone black, and he was standing alone in a void. “Kairi?” he asked the emptiness. “Was that you?”

There was a gold flash, and Mickey covered his eyes. When the light had faded to manageable levels, there was Kairi, standing in front of him in a black void, her entire form bright gold.

“What’s goin’ on?” Mickey asked.

“You and Oswald need to talk to each other. Actually talk,” Kairi said. “There’s no reason for this to end with violence. So I made contact between your hearts.”

“Between… our hearts?” The new voice almost made Mickey jump. He turned to see Oswald standing next to him, lit by Kairi’s glow.

Kairi nodded. “That’s right. Hello, my name is Kairi. It’s nice to meet you.”

Oswald frowned. “Are you one of those Princesses of Heart?” Kairi nodded. “Nice to meet you, too, Kairi.” He sighed, and looked at Mickey.

Mickey looked down at his shoes. “Oswald… for a long time, I felt like I had to run away from the past. From things I didn’t get right. From the pain I had to endure. I thought that, if I didn’t, I would succumb to Darknesss.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell us about Aqua, Terra, and Ven?” Kairi asked.

Mickey nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t want to remember them, because if I did, I wouldn’t be able to shoulder the burden.”

“What changed?” Kairi asked.

Mickey smiled. “Sora. Not your Sora, but the data version of Sora. He showed me it was possible to shoulder that pain, and carry it with you, without succumbing. So, I stopped running away from my failure, and told you about my missing friends.”

“And that’s why you never told me when you were in the Wasteland?” Oswald asked. “Because if I knew…”

“If you knew, I’d be causing trouble for ya. And I’d done enough of that with the Blot,” Mickey nodded.

Oswald shook his head. “Mickey, we’re family. If anything, you could’ve come to me to talk about things. Ya got your friends, and your wife, and you’ve got me, too. If ya didn’t tell them, I get why you didn’t tell me, but… with how far removed I am from your daily life, I could’ve been there for you without changing your life in a huge way.”

“Gosh, I wouldn’t want to pile things on you like that,” Mickey said. “Especially after…” He winced.

Oswald sighed. “After what happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Kairi said. “I can tell this is something personal from your pasts, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mickey looked back away. “Well, y’see, Kairi, Disney Town as you know it used ta be a lot different. It was a long time ago, but my brother used to be the King.”

“I thought Minnie was the royal in your family?” Kairi asked, curious.

“She is,” Mickey said. “But before the House of Mouse came to power…”

“I was supposed to be where Mickey is now,” Oswald interrupted. His tone was hard to read.

“What happened?” Kairi asked.

“Things changed. Circumstances altered. I lost my heart, in a sense,” Oswald said. “I have it back now; but for a long time, I was exiled to the Wasteland.” He sighed. “Master Yen Sid found that world for those of us who weren’t… whole, anymore. We weren’t ‘Nobodies’, not like you understand the term now… but we couldn’t stay in Disney Town. When I was forced to leave, Mickey became my replacement.”

“Oswald, I’m sorry,” Mickey started, but practically jumped when Oswald put his hand on his arm.

“I used to hate you for it. Then the whole business with the Blot happened, and I realized that despite your flaws, what happened to me wasn’t your fault. You didn’t have any say in it, either,” he said. He frowned. “I… don’t know why I was so angry just now. It…”

“It might have been Xehanort’s influence,” Kairi said. “Darkness has a way of… making things _feel_ more. Making hurts worse. Making pain resurface. It’s why Mickey was so afraid of it.” She reached out, and touched Oswald’s chest.

There was a spark. Kairi leaned back, and the silver patches of Oswald’s fur faded back to black. “There. He’s gone from you, now,” she said. Privately, she noted that Oswald had had a smaller piece of Xehanort’s heart within him than Saïx had had, likely since Oswald didn’t need to be directly controlled.

Mickey turned to his brother. “Oswald, I really do mean it when I say I’m sorry. I’ve been running away from things for too long. And I’m sorry that I hurt you by doing so. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me.”

“I’m sorry I lashed out,” Oswald said. His lips twitched. “You… did say there was a way to save everyone, right?”

Mickey nodded. “Last time worlds disappeared, beating Xehanort’s Heartless brought them back. It should work the same way now.”

Oswald took a breath. “Then what are we waiting for?” He smiled, and held out his arms. Mickey gratefully sank into the hug. They both turned to look at Kairi. “If you wouldn’t mind, Princess?” Oswald asked.

Kairi beamed, and there was a bright white flash. When it faded, Mickey was back in the real world.

He blinked, noticing that Donald and Goofy were busily chipping away at the ice surrounding his feet. Upon their noticing that he was back, the two snapped into salutes. “Your Majesty!”

“Aw, shucks, guys, what did I tell you about that?” Mickey asked, sheepishly, and broke his way out of the ice. Beside him, Kairi was helping Oswald out of his own hummock.

“Is everything okay now?” Donald asked, tentatively.

Oswald nodded. “Yep. We worked it out.” His face fell. “I’m sorry for being so nasty to you fellas.”

Goofy shrugged. “Gawrsh, water under the bridge!” he said, before Donald could retort with something angry. “Are you gonna join us, or do ya wanna sit out?”

Oswald shook his head. “I think I’ve done enough damage; we did contribute to the χ–blade,” he said. “I’d like to help, if you’ll have me?”

“Gosh, absolutely!” Mickey said, and beamed. Oswald matched him smile for smile, and the quartet turned towards wall behind them, ready to move on. Kairi, watching, smiled as well, happy that at least one of these fights had ended without serious injury to either party.

Things couldn’t always end like that.

A small shudder passed through her, and Kairi screwed her eyes shut, willing the nausea to go down, willing the image of a body and a head parting ways away from her mind.

“Gawrsh, Kairi, are you okay?”

Goofy’s tone was quiet, and as Kairi opened her eyes to see him and Donald looking at her with concern, she noted that he’d intentionally not diverted Mickey and Oswald’s attention from each other. She swallowed, throat suddenly dry. “I… I was in… another fight… and… it didn’t end this well,” she mumbled.

Goofy gently reached for her and she allowed him to take her arm. “Aw, Kairi, I know that’s hard, but there’s not much we can do about it–”

She yanked her arm back. “You don’t understand,” she hissed, keeping her voice low. “I _killed_ someone.”

“Oh…” Goofy said, ears drooping a bit. Kairi met the sorrowful look in his eyes, shaking a bit. He wasn’t judging her; it was sympathy.

Donald stepped forwards. “There’s something important you need to know,” he said, commanding Kairi’s attention.

“What?” she asked, miserable.

“It doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“Huh?” Kairi said, blinking.

Donald shrugged. “This is a ‘war’. People are going to die. People are going to get killed by other people. The hope is that it’s no one we love that dies… but that would mean it’s probably people we love that have to do the killing. No, it’s not fair. But that’s the way things are. And Kairi?”

“Yeah?” she said, blinking through the tears slipping down her face.

“It doesn’t make you a bad person that you had to be the one. Especially since you’re feeling so badly about it. I would be worried if you were okay with it.” Donald placed a hand on hers. “It sucks. But it’s circumstances beyond your control. It’s hard to live with… but it _is_ liveable.”

Kairi sniffed. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Donald nodded. “And therapy afterwards would not be a bad idea,” he said, smirking a bit – as much as one could with a beak.

Kairi, despite herself, snickered. “I’ll look into it,” she promised.

“Fellas? Everything all right?” Mickey called.

Kairi took a deep breath. “As they can be, your Majesty,” she said. “As they can be.”

Aqua ran out into the next open area and slowed to a stop upon seeing two cloaked figures. She looked back at the wall behind her.

There were no other openings in the wall.

She was on her own.

She smirked, and placed a hand over her heart. “No, I’m never alone, am I?” she murmured to herself. “Not as long as I have my friends.” She straightened, and looked over at the two Seekers. “And who, if I may ask, are you?”

The taller of the two figures let out a croaking laugh. “Who am I, huh? Well, it’s been a long time coming, but now it’s time for what you’ve all been waiting for!” He tossed his hood back, revealing a blond man with white greasepaint coating his face. His ears were pointed, and around his golden eyes was a complicated design in red eye shadow, and purple lipstick extending far past where his lips should end. “My name… is _Kefka Palazzo_.”

This declaration was met with silence. “Sorry,” Aqua said eventually, frowning. “I have no idea who you are.” The man had been among the crowd when they’d rescued Terra, but aside from that she didn’t recognize the name or face.

The clown rolled his eyes. “Typical. I assure you, we just made _somebody’s_ day.”

“I don’t suppose I can convince you not to fight?” Aqua said. “Whatever Xehanort’s promised you, I doubt he intends to fulfil it.”

“Promised me?” Kefka repeated, confused. “Oh, he didn’t promise me anything. We’re kindred spirits, him and I. It might not make sense to a little-goody-two-shoes like you, but some of us are trying to answer important questions.”

“Questions like?” Aqua asked, curious despite herself.

Kefka smiled. It didn’t change the unmistakeable look of madness in his eyes. “Why do people… _build_ things… they know will be destroyed? Why do people cling to life, when they know they’ll inevitably die? Knowing that nothing they’ve done will matter once they do?” His insane smile widened. “Everyone has their reasons and yet _not a single one of them_ mean a damn thing. Life…. Hope… Dreams… All _meaningless_.”

“You sound pretty confident in your answers already,” Aqua said, glaring.

“Oh, but of course,” Kefka said. “But a theory must be tested, set against detractors, and remade as necessary, no matter how right it may start out as. That’s what _experimentation_ is all about. And then, when all is said and done… I will build a _monument_ to _non-existence_. I think a mountain of corpses should do it. Wouldn’t you say that’d work?” He shifted his attention over to the other black-coated figure, who said nothing. Kefka rolled his eyes. “Oh, you’ve just been no _fun_ ever since you got here.”

“And what about you?” Aqua asked, turning her attention over to the shorter figure. “Who are you and what do you want?”

The figure said nothing, merely lifting their hood back.

Aqua froze. Her eyes widened, and her Keyblade flashed into her hand. “ _YOU,_ ” she hissed.

“Me,” said the figure. A domed black helmet tilted as he regarded her. As she watched, a white version of the Unversed emblem flashed on the helmet’s faceplate. “Surprised to see me, ‘Master’ Aqua?”

“I was hoping I was seeing things,” Aqua growled. “What are you?”

“Just a monster,” said the figure. “But you’ve known that all along, haven’t you, Aqua?” The figure laughed. It was completely humourless. “It’s me, Aqua. It’s Vanitas.”

“Bull fucking _shit_ ,” Aqua snarled. “You’re _not_ Vanitas. What did you _do_ with him? What _are_ you?!”

“Just a remnant. A bundle of emotions left behind. You could think of me as the last Unversed,” said the Vanitas Remnant. “Or, you could think of me as the _real_ Vanitas. Not like that fake you had with you.”

Aqua gritted her teeth. “What did you _do_ to him,” she nearly whispered.

“The other one? I killed him,” said the Remnant. “He was too weak; he couldn’t cut it.”

Aqua brandished Stormfall. “Don’t you fucking _dare_ say he’s weak. He’s one of the strongest people I know.”

“And yet,” said the Remnant, with another grating laugh. “I think you mean ‘ _was_ ’, by the way.”

“Shut _up!_ ” Aqua yelled. “He can’t be… after everything, he can’t be…” She had the horrible feeling that the Remnant was smirking at her behind the helmet.

“I don’t suppose either of you would like to stop bantering and get on with the fight?” Kefka asked, unamused. “It’s a beautiful day for a massacre, and daylight’s a-wasting.”

“Fine, then,” Aqua said, scowling. She readied her stance. “I’ll take both of you at once.”

“Excellent! Show me something truly _ghastly!_ ” Kefka declared, balls of magic forming in his hands as he started to rise into the air.

“One thing first,” said the Remnant, summoning a Keyblade. Aqua’s eyebrow twitched as she recognized the black, red, and grey of Void Gear.

“And what’s that?” Aqua hissed.

“Yes, yes, get on with it,” Kefka grumbled, returning to the ground. “I swear, you’re dragging this out as if on purpose–” The Remnant whirled, and thrust his Keyblade deep into Kefka’s chest.

The clown gasped, and staggered back. “B...blood?” he muttered, thickly, as the bright red liquid ran down from the gaping hole in his chest. “Blood… blood! You vicious _brat!_ You know, you really are a…” he fell backwards, words cutting off as his last breath left his lungs. He hit the ground, eyes staring sightlessly, dead.

Aqua blinked in shocked confusion. “But…”

The Vanitas Remnant reached for the neckline of his helmet, and pulled it off his head. Underneath was a face that resembled Sora’s, black hair… and bright emerald eyes. “Like I said,” said Vanitas, grinning at Aqua. “That other me’s dead. He couldn’t cut it.” His grin widened. “Surprise, bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, everyone, I have homework for you! It's "read [this](https://thekingmickey.tumblr.com/post/152880548035/how-mickeys-poor-memory-ties-into-kh3-kingdom)". "This", in case you aren't able to follow the link, is a tumblr post by user thekingmickey that takes a look at what Mickey's character arc (because yes, he has one) over the course of the Kingdom Hearts games (specifically BBS to 3D) is, with special emphasis on why Re:coded actually matters. The short version is that Mickey had, up until that point, been avoiding his past, due to his pain over what happened to Aqua, Terra, and Ven; his pain over his failure. He believed that if he confronted that pain, he would succumb to it, and therefore to Darkness. However, in Re:coded, data-Sora shows Mickey by example that it's possible to shoulder that weight and not succumb. And from that, Mickey allows himself to remember Aqua, Terra, and Ven, and the events of 3D and KH3 happen, and so on and so forth. And that's the idea, of Mickey having previously run from a painful past/his failures, and only recently deciding to stand up and face it.   
> As I've said several times, I've never played Epic Mickey. But I do have the Internet, and the Disney Wiki, and the Epic Mickey Wiki. So I have a rough understanding of what happened, and the emotions that were at play. From that, I extrapolated how that could have gone down in Kingdom Hearts, and how things would be between them now... considering Mickey's avoidance strategy until very recently.   
> And yes, this is my attempt at explaining why Mickey is (almost) always late when he's traveling by himself. He kept going to check on Oswald whenever he had the opportunity. Being able to make Light Corridors has helped with his punctuality.  
> I'm a big believer in the importance of clear communication. I think that ultimately it's the most useful and relevant of Kairi's grab bag of ill-defined Princess Powers, even with everything else I have her doing later on in this fic. Immediately after Dooku (for her), it was very important to affirm for her that things _don't_ have to end in violence and death. That there _can_ be peaceable resolution to these conflicts. Even if Oswald is one of the very few Norts that that's true for.   
> Speaking of Norts that "peaceable resolution" _isn't_ possible for, say hello to the God of Magic (self-proclaimed) himself, Final Fantasy VI's own Kefka Palazzo! Sort of. FF13 remains the only Final Fantasy game that has its own world, so this isn't FF6-canon Kefka. His backstory will be addressed at a later date, but he is the Kingdom Hearts version of the character.   
> So why Kefka? You may not remember, but it was FF6 that I was playing while Land of Oblivion was being posted. Initially I was going to have this Nort slot filled by Mateus. Who's Mateus, you ask? To which I shake my head and ask in return, haven't you read the Final Fantasy II novelization that was only released in Japan? Yeah, me neither. You may know Mateus better as simply "the Emperor", the main villain of FF2. Also known as "[Yoshitaka Amano really liked David Bowie in Laybrinth](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/c/ca/FF2_Emperor.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120604111039)". The problem with him was twofold. First, it had been six years since I'd played FF2. Second, Mateus's personality didn't really have a lot to it. He was evil because Evil Is Fun; while it works as the main villain of his own game, there's not much I could do with that here. So, once I had finished FF6... Well. I understood fully why everyone loves our dancing mad bastard. "Star Wars but the Emperor gets usurped halfway through by the Joker" indeed. Sure is a good thing he's dead now and can't contribute to χ-blade forging. Yep, sure is.  
> ...Yeah, who am I kidding, you all know me better than that. Next time we'll see what happened to Vanitas after he got tackled. Until then!


	9. Mirror Match

**Earlier…**

Vanitas hit the ground hard. The other person rolled off of him and stood up, closing the Dark Corridor they’d traveled through.

Vanitas’s eyes narrowed as he recognized where they were. The light, what little there was, was dim and purple. The ground was covered in tendrils of Darkness, blacks and indigoes and violets. They hadn’t arrived in a new world at all. This was still the interior of a Dark Corridor.

“And what the fuck do you want?” he demanded of the other person.

“The old fuck wasn’t lying. You really have gone soft. Asking questions? You should just be trying to kill me,” came the response in a familiar voice.

His own voice.

Vanitas recoiled. “What the fuck are you?”

The coated figure pulled his hood back, revealing a domed black mask with a white-outlined Unversed symbol on it. “Dumbass question,” he said. “I’m _you_. I’m your _shadow_.”

Vanitas stared. “What the _fuck_.”

“Surprised? Thought you could just leave me behind, didn’t you?” the other Vanitas mocked.

“If you’re not going to talk plainly I don’t have a reason not to kill you,” Vanitas said, summoning his Keyblade.

The other Vanitas tilted his head. “I’m what got left behind when Aqua and _Ventus_ beat your ass senseless thirteen years ago. A bundle of emotions, of rage, hate, and _fear_. Just a remnant, really. But now…” the Remnant removed his helmet. Underneath was a familiar Sora-esque face, with gold eyes, but instead of Vanitas’s normal black hair, his was bright silver. He tossed the helmet aside and grinned at the original Vanitas. “I guess it’s the same for you, right? A couple seconds of the second-worst pain imaginable, and then you have your own body. It’s almost like we’re _real_ people.”

“I _am_ a real person,” Vanitas said. “Don’t know what the fuck _you_ are.”

The Remnant scoffed, a humourless laugh Vanitas found all too familiar. He summoned his own Keyblade. Vanitas stiffened. The Remnant’s Keyblade was a monochrome Void Gear. “Apparently, I’m more the _real_ Vanitas than _you_ are. The fuck is that _thing_? Isn’t that _Ventus_ ’s?”

“Fuck off,” Vanitas replied.

The Remnant’s face pulled into a sneer. “Aw, did widdle Venty-Wenty let you play with his _toys_? How _adorable_.” He lifted his Keyblade and Darkness started to swirl around it. “And how _pathetic_. I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Not with that shameful display earlier.”

“What display?” Vanitas demanded.

The Remnant rolled his eyes. “All that _heartwarming_ _closeness_ between you and the three chucklefucks back there. Makes me _sick_. Did you _forget?_ We don’t _need_ other people. That’s exactly what makes _Ventus_ weak.”

Vanitas stared at the Remnant. It was like looking into a mirror, of the person he’d been before his rebirth. The same sneering condescension, the same bluff of superiority, the same arrogance in the idea that “not-having” somehow made him better than those who _did_ “have”.

It occurred to him that he didn’t quite recall when he stopped hating himself as strongly as he used to.

It also occurred to him that he’d had valid reasons to do so, even if he hadn’t been self-aware enough to see them.

Because standing in front of him was the same four-year-old in a sixteen-year-old’s body, fresh off four years of abuse masquerading as training, trying to make himself look big in order to hide how small he truly felt.

Vanitas took a deep breath. Calmly, patiently, he looked his Remnant right in the eye, and said, “Go fuck yourself with a rusty spork.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Go stick your dick in a cactus. Stop parroting Xehanort’s lies and look around. You can’t expect me to believe that you’re _happy_ with what you are. With _who_ you are. You didn’t _choose_ either of them. And yet there you stand, deriding the things you _don’t_ _have_ in a sad attempt to make yourself feel better about _not having them_. Void, you are such a little _shit_.” Vanitas shook his head. “Do you understand what you’re doing here? You’re making me _empathize_ with _Aqua_.”

The Remnant scoffed. “And it’s shit like that that makes you _weak_.”

Vanitas rolled his eyes. “No. Understanding others, being able to see from other perspectives, being _physically capable_ of giving a shit about more than my own survival? That takes effort. That takes a shit ton of work. That takes more than I used to think I was capable of giving. I was wrong about myself. I was wrong about what true strength was. And so are _you_.” He made a face like he’d just bitten into the wrong kind of pickle. “Fuck, I sound almost as bad as Sora. I’m half-tempted to just let you stab me.”

“Caring about others? Understanding them? Don’t make me laugh,” said the Remnant. “With only half a heart?”

Vanitas spread his arms. “I have a full heart. All my own,” he said. “I’m not gonna pretend it doesn’t suck sometimes. I’m not gonna pretend it’s not weird, and terrifying, and sometimes more than I can handle. But I wouldn’t give it up for _anything_.”

“Then you’re just as pathetic as _Ventus_ ,” the Remnant sneered.

Vanitas smirked. “Which is not nearly as pathetic as _you_. All hate and rage, vented outwards because the alternative is letting it eat you from the inside out. You’re an Unversed? Means you can’t make more. Means everything you feel is scratching at the door, just waiting for you to stumble for one split second so it can tear you limb from limb. I remember being you. It’s not fun. It’s not easy. But turning down every helping hand reached out to you out of sheer spite’ll get you nowhere.”

“And you want to ‘help’ me?” the Remnant mocked. “Like you said. I’m not real. Just a pile of emotions in a meatsuit. I don’t have a heart of my own. The Master’s fit perfectly.”

“Did I say a damn thing about wanting to help you?” Vanitas asked. “No. No, the only thing I could do to help you is put you out of my misery. You call me pathetic for what’s become of me? How pathetic are you to have _submitted_ to Xehanort _this_ _much_?” He didn’t stutter, didn’t stumble over the name. It was impressive what anger could do.

With a snarl, the Remnant charged forwards. Vanitas caught the monochrome Void Gear on his own Keyblade and pushed the strike away. “And what, now you’re attacking instead of listening?” Vanitas mocked. “I thought we were having a _dialogue_.”

“You’re all talk, aren’t you? Is that what you learned from your _friends?_ ” the Remnant replied, in an identical tone.

Vanitas replied with a blast of darkness to his Remnant’s head. The Remnant stumbled back, then rushed forwards again. Vanitas dodged the slash, then rolled to avoid a follow-up that released a wave of Darkness. There was an ominous clicking sound, and Vanitas was able to remember what it was in time to dodge the blast of energy from the Remnant’s Shotlock.

Capitalizing on the distraction, Vanitas sank into the ground beneath his feet and re-emerged beneath the Remnant, stabbing upwards. The Remnant grunted in pain and broke off the Shotlock, rolling backwards and grimacing. Vanitas pressed the attack, slicing towards his doppelgänger, but in mid-swing the Remnant vanished. Vanitas had a split second to realize what had just happened before the Remnant appeared above him, landing a blow on Vanitas’s helmet that shattered the visor.

Vanitas staggered backwards, reeling. “Okay, they might have had a point about how annoying that is,” he conceded under his breath. Louder, he called to the Remnant, “Do you really think you can beat me with my own tricks?”

The Remnant made a (cocky, in Vanitas’s opinion) show of thinking about it. “Hmm, maybe not,” he said. “So what you’re saying is I should do something you could _never_ do.”

The Remnant rose into the air, and Darkness swirled around him, forming a dense sphere. Vanitas frowned, not recognizing the technique. So intent was he on trying to figure out what was happening, he almost failed to dodge the shadowy double that launched towards him. He continued to dodge as more and more shadowy clones erupted from the sphere, but the last one caught him off-balance. As he reeled from the strike, the cocoon of Darkness opened and the Remnant himself rushed forwards, ramming his Keyblade into Vanitas’s chest.

The armour took the blow, but the breath was driven out of Vanitas’s lungs, and his vision dimmed under the influence of what he recognized as a Blind spell. “Not bad, huh?” the Remnant mocked. “Had a lot of time to think that one up. Or this.”

Vanitas felt another blow lash across his back, and his vision cleared just in time to see a row of dark crystals formed on either side of him. Before he could bring his Keyblade up to defend himself, the crystals shot forwards, striking him again and again. His vision went black yet again. “Would you quit it with the bullshit magic and just let me hit you?!” he raged, looking around for the Remnant with sightless eyes.

“Just look at you. As blind as this new heart of yours has made you,” the Remnant sneered, from somewhere over Vanitas’s left shoulder. He whirled, but the Remnant continued moving. “And what the fuck happened to your _eyes_?”

“Gold’s not really my colour,” Vanitas offered, still trying to place the other him. The Remnant appeared to be circling him.

“More heart bullshit? Of course. Change whatever you like about your appearance, it won’t change the simple facts.”

“What facts?”

The Remnant’s voice came from right in front of Vanitas’s face. “ _We’re alone_.” He swiped forwards, but his Keyblade met no resistance. “We’re alone, and we always will be,” the Remnant continued, from further away. Vanitas blinked as his vision started to clear. He could now see a fuzzy, greyscale shape at the edge of his vision. “We can’t rely on anyone. We can’t trust anyone. The only person either of us has… is ourself.” The Remnant’s face – Vanitas’s face – came into view. Triumphant, but tired. Confident, but weary.

Vanitas slowly put a hand over his heart. “No,” he said, simply. “I’m _not_ alone.”

There had been a power, long ago, that had allowed Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to temporarily join their hearts with another’s. Vanitas had experienced it firsthand, when Ventus had used Vanitas’s own power to defeat him in the battle within Ventus’s heart. Vanitas had no idea how it worked, if it could even work for him.

But he had to try.

They’d said they’d always be there for him.

And deep down, the fact remained that despite how much he denied it to himself, he believed them.

Hopefully it would be enough.

A bright orange light suffused him, and strength he’d never known before filled his limbs. He shot forwards, ramming into the Remnant and catching him off-balance. The Remnant tried to strike back, but Vanitas’s Keyblade wheeled around almost of its own accord and caught the strike. The Remnant gasped, like he’d struck a stone wall.

Vanitas lifted his Keyblade and a Zero Gravity spell lifted the Remnant into the air, pinning him in place for a series of thrusting attacks. Once the spell gave out, the Remnant fell back to the ground, just in time for Vanitas to slam his Keyblade down into it, causing a shockwave of earth that knocked the Remnant reeling even further.

Vanitas had the oddest impression of Terra nodding in approval.

The Remnant staggered back to his feet, and with a screech, launched a rapid flurry of Dark Firaga and Dark Thundaga towards Vanitas. Just before the spells hit, the orange light shifted to blue.

Vanitas’s Keyblade moved as if it had a will of its own once more, and the spells fizzled on impact. The Remnant gasped. Vanitas brought his Keyblade down and dragged it along the ground, then leapt back out of the way as the Remnant charged him again. This time, his double ran smack dab into the middle of the square of Mine spells Vanitas had laid. Vanitas grimaced. That one was never fun to get hit by.

His sympathy, unfortunately, was entirely misplaced as the Remnant staggered out of the blasted area and shot through the air towards him. Darkness swirled around his blade and his entire body, and before Vanitas could react he felt the Keyblade ram into the broken shards of his visor, cracking his helmet in two.

The blow was overpowering, and Vanitas fell backwards. He could feel his consciousness fading – no, disappearing. He wasn’t entirely sure he was going to get back up again. _Well, shit,_ he thought to himself. _Not exactly the dramatic end I was expecting._

Before the darkness could close around him for the final time, he had a strange flash of a vision.

For a split second, he could have sworn he saw Aqua smiling at him.

A new surge of energy coursed through his limbs, and the darkness receded as Vanitas shook himself back to full consciousness. “That’s _impossible_ ,” the Remnant gasped. “You were _dead_.”

Vanitas pulled off the shattered remains of his helmet and smirked. “Impossible? So are both of us.” He leveled his Keyblade at the Remnant and shot forth a volley of magic spheres. The Remnant blocked them, but Vanitas was already moving, buoyed along on a current of magic so fast it felt like teleportation. It let him slow just enough to launch another blast of magic, then another, and another. The Remnant couldn’t keep up with them, and eventually collapsed to his knees.

“No!” he growled. “It doesn’t… end… like this!”

“You’re right, Vanitas said, as his aura changed from blue to green. “It ends like _this_.”

With a scream, the Remnant sliced at him, but to Vanitas it looked like he was moving in slow-motion. He merely took a step to the side at the proper time, and the Remnant missed by a mile. The Remnant snarled, took another swing, and Vanitas stepped back out of the way. “Stop moving and fight me, you _coward!_ ” the Remnant screamed.

His Void Gear clanged against Lost Memory. Vanitas blinked. He hadn’t realized he’d done it, but his grip on his Keyblade had reversed. He had a brief flash of Ventus beaming at him, giving a thumbs-up, and made a mental note to punch him later. “Are you sure you want that?” he asked the Remnant, quietly.

He received only a scream of anger in response. “All right, then,” Vanitas said, and attacked.

Blow after blow shredded what little remained of the Remnant’s defense, and Vanitas slowly pushed his other backwards. With a kick, he gained some distance between them, took a deep breath, and rose into the air.

“What the hell? What the _fuck_ are you _doing?!_ ” the Remnant gasped. “How the _fuck_ –”

“It’s amazing what can happen when you open your heart to others,” Vanitas said, as the Aeroga spell lifted him further into the air. “Sometimes you even find things you lost forever.” He rushed suddenly forwards, his Keyblade at the ready, and swept down against the Remnant. It took very little to knock out what little fight remained in the last Unversed, and Vanitas settled back to the ground as the Remnant staggered and fell to the ground, defeated.

Vanitas walked over slowly, confident in his victory but also fully aware that in this position, one last underhanded trick would absolutely be something he’d try. The Remnant didn’t look at him, instead staring up at the ceiling of the Corridor.

“You like the life you have now, huh,” he said. His tone was rather calm, considering. But then again, there was a part of him that had known this was inevitable. There’d been a part of Vanitas that was convinced he would meet his own end like this, a long time ago. As things had changed, that part of him had stopped being a resignation and started being a fear.

Vanitas nodded. “I do. It’s not always fun. But this life is _mine_. No one else’s.”

The Remnant nodded, considering his words. “You understand what happens now, right?”

Vanitas frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I’m the last one,” said the Remnant. “The last Unversed. You remember what happens when Unversed are destroyed.”

Vanitas nodded, and slowly sat down beside him. “How could I forget?”

“Are you prepared for this?” the Remnant asked. There was no actual concern in his tone. “All this pain, all this anger, all of this sorrow?”

Vanitas actually considered the question. “I… don’t know. I don’t know if I can handle that. But what I do know, is that all those light-blind happy assholes I live with...” he trailed off, and clenched his fist, then slowly took a breath, relaxed his hand, and placed it against his heart. “…that my _friends_ won’t let me bear it alone.”

“I don’t understand you,” the Remnant said.

Vanitas shook his head. “I understand _you_. All too well. And it’s time to come home.”

Slowly, the Remnant smiled, and dissolved.

A sheer wave of pain hit Vanitas like a truck.

For a second, he was back there again. Back fighting Ventus, and losing. Back fighting Aqua, and losing. Losing the χ–blade, losing his body, losing his very life, what little he had of one. The anger, the desperation, the sheer stark _terror_ that this was it. He’d had his one chance and lost it. He would never get his body back. He would never escape Xehanort’s thrall.

It was so _much_.

Had he still been half a heart in a shell of darkness, the feelings would have erupted back out of him as countless Unversed, over and over again as he tried to get them under control and inevitably lost that control. Now, however, he had a better release.

Tears leaked from Vanitas’s eyes as he crumpled into a ball. Alone in the Dark Corridor, he sobbed and sobbed as the pain washed over him. His heart bundled up each fear, each terror, each fright, packed them into tears, and set them free. And as he cried, it hurt less and less. Slowly, surely, the emotions had their say and retreated, the storm in his heart and head gradually calming.

Vanitas came back to himself slowly, in fits and starts. He straightened up, and wiped what was left of the tears off of his face. It was, in a sense, progress that there was nothing he wanted more right now than a hug.

He took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said to the empty Corridor. “That fucking sucks.”

The pain was still _there_ , was the thing. He knew, instinctively, without thinking about it too hard, that it would fade with time. And that the people who cared about him could help it fade faster.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself. “I really have changed.”

It was scary.

It was scary to think that he wasn’t who he used to be. If his identity was so mutable, then who was he, really? Who was “Vanitas”?

He sat still for a couple of seconds before snorting. Whoever he Void-damned wanted to be, that’s who Vanitas was. He smiled.

“All right,” he muttered to himself, standing up. “Wait… shit.”

He remembered that his helmet was broken. If it hadn’t been for his experience with Darkness, he probably would’ve been choking by now.

“I have the shittiest track record with…” he cut himself off. There, on the ground before him, was his Remnant’s helmet. It hadn’t vanished with the rest of him – and neither, he noted, had his black coat.

“Add parts to the armour, huh?” he muttered, recalling what Hephaestus had said.

Maybe it was okay to reclaim some parts of who he used to be.

Vanitas lifted the Remnant’s helmet and placed it on his head. There was a momentary spark, and the domed helmet melded onto his armour like it had always been there.

Vanitas took a deep breath. There was still a backwards Unversed emblem on the helmet, but that could probably be altered later. There wasn’t as big an issue as he had been expecting, wearing the helmet again. Then again, it had been how he’d hid himself. It made sense that _it_ wasn’t the problem.

Speaking of problems, there was an odd purple glow surrounding his body now. He decided to ignore it. It probably wasn’t actually a problem, so long as he got out of the Dark Corridor soon.

His gaze fell upon the abandoned black coat. “Huh,” he muttered. If the helmet he had was still marked like his Remnant’s…

“Huh,” he repeated, smirking to himself. Easy kill right there; probably only one, and he’d probably have to take the first one he got, which wouldn’t be the old man. Oh well. They were still Xehanort.

He put the coat on over his armour. It was a little bulky, but probably wouldn’t be noticed. The real problem was… Right.

The Keyblade didn’t match.

Vanitas swallowed. Even if he took the Keychain off his Keyblade, it still wouldn’t be the right colour. That said, what was the likelihood that anyone else had seen the Remnant’s Keyblade?

“If he’s me, he has my Keyblade. That’s common sense,” Vanitas muttered to himself. He was stalling. He knew he was stalling.

…people he cared about could be dying while he was stalling.

“Fuck this,” he growled, and pulled the Lost Memory Keychain off of his Keyblade.

Void Gear resumed its base form. Vanitas screwed his eyes shut, then slowly peeked.

The blue eyes on Void Gear stared sightlessly at nothing. They weren’t staring at him. They were just a piece of decoration.

He’d been expecting something worse.

…maybe he really was getting better.

Under the helmet, he grinned, and opened a Dark Corridor back to the Keyblade Graveyard.

“Get ready, you old fuck,” he whispered. “You’re not gonna see _this_ one coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title was one of the first things I wanted to do once I cemented my plans to bring Vanitas back. Since he obviously wouldn't be working for Xehanort under the circumstances I wanted to send him through, why not bring in a version of him that would?  
> And thus, the mystery of Spare Replica Body #3 has finally been solved. Even's not getting his deposit back...  
> I found it interesting, realizing that I was essentially pitting my Vanitas against a closer-to-canon version of himself. In effect, I would be showing Vanitas his own growth, which wasn't something he could see for himself under normal circumstances. We all grow and change over the course of our lives. When we're younger, we may do things, or behave in ways, that when we're older, we think were really stupid. It's important to be kind, and not harsh, to your past self.  
> But of course Vanitas has no truck with that sort of thing. Where Aqua and Terra can embrace (sometimes literally) the darker parts of their natures, Vanitas doesn't think in those terms. While he might be learning compassion, he has none for himself - partially because unlike many of the other character, he's _not_ prone to either self-reflection or self-flagellation. The identity question that plagued Roxas, Xion, and Naminé is something that Vanitas resolves in half a second; he's just not the type of person who cares about that sort of philosophical conundrum. He's practical about it. "How can we know that X exists?" "By looking."  
> Behold, my first (and only planned) usage of D-Links! No, I don't care to explain how they're possible! But I thought that thematically, it was a good way to tie together the fact that Vanitas now has the Wayfinders as people who care about him. I will apologize for the fact that I effectively just went through the list of their D-Link abilities, but I wanted to showcase them (and also show that Vanitas has apparently raised them all to the highest level). The only slight hiccup with that is that one of Aqua's abilities is Auto-Life; a skill that revives you if your health is reduced to nothing. It's a spell from the Final Fantasy series, previously known as ReRaise, and (earlier) as Life3. Which means that Vanitas might have spent a second or two dead. But he got better!  
> Similarly, the Remnant's abilities are based on his (and normal Vanitas's) abilities from BBS. Like the Lingering Will, I never played the superboss battles, so I did the best I could with what the wikis gave me.  
> And yes, I was always planning on Vanitas getting the iconic dome helmet back. It's weird to think of him without it. And I wound up falling in love with Void Gear's design after making the decision to give Vanitas Lost Memory (because I had fallen in love with _its_ design), so he gets that back, too. Is the MoM still looking through the Gazing Eyes? Who knows... (but the implication here is, at least at the moment Vanitas looks at them, he's not). Ven will be getting Lost Memory back at Vanitas's earliest opportunity.  
> I think that's everything! Next week, we'll be returning to the present to see Aqua's reaction to all of this! In the meantime, I'm going to make a run at finishing Pokémon Sword('s story)! And then I'll only have to finish Let's Go Eevee for my JRPG palette to finally be empty...  
> Regardless, catch you all next time!


	10. Dancing Mad

“And yeah, he didn’t see it coming,” Vanitas finished. While he’d been explaining, Aqua had been staring at him, mouth agape. He’d left out some of his more… embarrassing… phrasings… but aside from that had told events pretty much as they had happened. They’d both removed their helmets, glad for a little breathing room.

Aqua closed her mouth, shaking her head, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Vanitas flinched, unintentionally. It was just Aqua, she wasn’t going to –

Aqua slapped him.

“What the _fuck_?” Vanitas demanded. He was a bit taken aback to see that Aqua was wearing an angry expression.

“How fucking _dare_ you _make me think you were dead,_ ” Aqua snapped, then stepped back, shaking her head. “Honestly. I understand that you couldn’t say anything without blowing your cover, but _still_. Consider how your actions are going to make other people feel, for fuck’s sake.”

“‘Make other people feel’?” Vanitas parroted, sarcastic. “Oh, come _on_ , Aqua. Like it wouldn’t make your fucking _day_ to find out I died.” His cheek was stinging. At least the weird purple glow seemed to be gone now. Probably not important.

He abruptly became aware that Aqua hadn’t continued the argument. He looked up to find her staring at him, mouth slightly open in shock.

His eyes widened. There were tears in hers.

“Vanitas…” Aqua said, quietly, as if she couldn’t believe what she was saying. “After everything that’s happened… everything we’ve been through… everything that’s changed… do you really still think I want you dead?”

The silence that descended between them wasn’t like other silences. It wasn’t awkward, it wasn’t comfortable, it wasn’t a blanket or a cocoon or any sort of comfort. It felt like a ball of ice had made its home in Vanitas’s heart.

Aqua sniffed, and turned away, wiping something out of her eye. “Come on,” she muttered tonelessly, and that’s how Vanitas knew the silence had lingered too long, “we need to keep moving.”

“Aqua…” Vanitas said, but she was already walking away, towards the other side of the area from where she’d entered, to where there were two holes in the wall. “Wait, Aqua…!”

The words burst forth, unbidden. In the past, he’d struggled with them, tried to make nice with them, said them because it was expected, said them because they were correct and necessary. Now, though, it took no effort. It took nothing out of him. He didn’t stumble over them, didn’t question them, didn’t even really think about them. He just meant them.

“Aqua, _I’m sorry!_ ”

She froze, turned back towards him. The tears she hadn’t cleared away from her face were another icicle through his heart. He was so overcome by the sight that he barely noticed his own. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, with no sarcasm, no begrudging, just sincerity. “I didn’t think about how it would affect you. I didn’t… I got caught up in arguing like we usually do. I didn’t realize how much the idea would hurt you. I’m sorry.” It felt like too little, too late.

Aqua stepped back towards him, and gently wiped the tears off his face. “Of course I care if you live or die, Vanitas. Of course I want you to live. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Vanitas blinked. He bit back his instinctive response, rethinking the tone so it didn’t sound so hostile. “Since… when?” he asked, slowly.

It was Aqua’s turn to blink. “Since… since you helped Terra. Remember?”

Vanitas thought back to the conversation in the hallway, the one that had culminated in an awkwardly-long period of her hand in his. Come to think of it, that was when Aqua had started acting weird. Weird for her, at least.

“Oh,” Vanitas said, helplessly. “I didn’t… I didn’t know what changed. Why you were acting like that. I’m sorry.” Had anyone asked, he would’ve claimed it had slipped out. But it was just him and Aqua right now. He meant it.

Aqua made a weird hiccupping sound, and Vanitas was startled for a minute before he realized it was Aqua laughing through her tears. “ _Light_ , Vanitas.”

“Well, _excuuuuuse_ me, Aqua!” Vanitas grumbled. “That’s not how things started out between us.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Aqua said, sobering up, although she still suffered the occasional chuckle. “But, time passed. We grew and learned. Both of us. Do you still feel the same way about me as you did back when you first came back?”

The fury that had defined Aqua’s face upon his reawakening and shortly thereafter flashed through Vanitas’s mind. It was followed by a gradual lessening, a slow transition from Aqua glaring at him with clear hatred, to mere annoyance. There were even one or two smiles. There had been more recently, hadn’t there. For some reason, Vanitas realized, he enjoyed the fact that he could make her smile every once in a while. Amid the glares. “…No,” Vanitas admitted. He sighed. “I’m a fucking dumbass.”

“You said it, not me,” Aqua teased, and it was fucking _teasing_ , of course it was teasing, it made sense now. “You’re not dumb,” she added. “You just haven’t had a lot of practice. And I shouldn’t have assumed you knew something had changed.”

“…I still shouldn’t have made you cry,” Vanitas muttered. “I’m sorry.”

Aqua graced him with another smile. “You know what, I don’t even have to make an effort to believe you mean it. Thank you for apologizing.”

“I don’t feel any less bad about saying what I said,” Vanitas mumbled.

“I feel better knowing you didn’t mean what you said,” Aqua countered.

Vanitas sighed. “…I guess that’s enough for me, then,” he said, and looked back up at her, with a slight smile.

Aqua smirked. “Never thought I’d see you smile at me. It looks good on you.”

There was a sharp twinge in Vanitas’s heart, but he ignored it. Instead, he shrugged off the black coat he was still wearing. “Whatever,” he muttered, looking down. He looked back up at Aqua, and stuck out his tongue.

Aqua giggled. “Come on. We can’t go quite together, but–”

“A _stupid…Vicious…Arrogant, whiny, pampered, **backstabbing** , worthless_…little [BRAT](https://youtu.be/8aUN2ForDzs?t=6)!!!”

Vanitas and Aqua both whirled around as the formerly-deceased body of Kefka Palazzo rose back through the air, returning to a standing position. Two bright points of light circled around his head, perfectly framing his absolutely livid face.

“Oh, what the _fuck_ , that’s cheating!” Vanitas yelled, as both he and Aqua summoned their Keyblades and donned their helmets.

“ _Please_ ,” Kefka sneered. “You really think I’m going to walk into something like this without insurance? Especially when I knew I’d be dealing with _backstabbing little brats?!_ ”

“Auto-Life?” Aqua murmured, trying to figure out how he’d done it.

“Reraise, _please_ ,” Kefka corrected. “I just can’t _stand_ it when the names get changed.”

“Is he just going to keep coming back if we kill him again?” Vanitas asked Aqua as Kefka stretched.

Aqua shook her head. “It only works once.”

“Or, Life3, if you want to go real classic with it,” Kefka continued, ignoring them.

“Got it, stab the bastard again,” Vanitas replied. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Oh, I beg to differ,” Kefka sneered, rising into the air with magic crackling in his palms once more. “You know, you two make me _sick_. I could hear that whole conversation you were having. Talk about unresolved, am I right?” He shook his head, sighing. “You both sound like a romance novel. And not one of the good ones with the people who turn into bears, no, the ones where a woman learns the true meaning of Christmas by cheating on her boyfriend with a sexy small-town hick!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, and frankly, I don’t care,” Aqua said, raising her Keyblade.

“Of course you don’t,” Kefka responded, sarcastic. “If that’s how it’s going to be, then I’ll just snuff them out! All the warm feelings, all the happy reasons for living, all the hard-won growth! Hope your tears don’t smudge my makeup!”

“Please,” Vanitas sneered back. “What could you possibly do to us? You folded like wet tissue paper earlier.”

A blast of Thundaga lanced towards Vanitas, who rolled out of the way barely in time. It was followed by a row of Blizzaga that shot towards Vanitas’s feet, anchoring him to the ground.

“Want to try saying that again? To my face this time?” Kefka asked. He let out a low, gurgling cackle, and also a bolt of Firaga. In mid-flight, the Firaga changed direction, homing in on Aqua. “You like your meat well done, right?”

“I _was_ saying it to your face, you piece of – whoa!” Vanitas dodged back again, breaking out of the ice, as a crimson sphere appeared above his head, shooting out chunks of rock and stone down on top of him. The sphere followed him, and he continued to move out of the way.

Aqua knocked back another shot of Firaga, and attempted to rush towards Kefka, but the mad mage waved his hand and cast Graviga. Aqua was yanked backwards, barely bringing a barrier up in time to protect her from an explosion at the centre.

Vanitas charged towards Kefka, a coating of darkness trailing along behind his Keyblade. He struck, but Kefka danced out of the way. Growling, he turned and swung his Keyblade again, but Kefka was again just far enough away that he missed. “Stand fucking still!” Vanitas snapped.

Kefka paused, as if he was considering the question. “No, no I don’t think I will,” he said, stepping out of the way of Vanitas’s blade yet again as Vanitas tried to capitalize on his pause. “Whoa!” he added, bending over backwards as Aqua sent a Firaga of her own towards him.

Vanitas slid backwards away from Kefka, taking position beside Aqua. “So, you have a plan? Don’t say ‘hit him really hard’ because I already tried that and _apparently_ it doesn’t work.”

Aqua’s eyes narrowed, her gaze locked on Kefka, and threw up a barrier to protect them both just before another Thundaga struck. “We have to pin him down somehow. He’s not going to sit still.”

“No shit,” Vanitas said, although there was no venom in the sarcastic tone. “How do we do that?”

Spells continued to hammer on Aqua’s barrier. “If I can get him to focus on me, can you ambush him? Use the shadows?” she asked.

Vanitas considered. “You’d have to ground him somehow. Or get him close to it.”

“I can do that. Go!” Aqua dropped the shield and Vanitas spun away from her, sinking in to the shadows.

“Ah, you see that?” Kefka asked her, floating closer. “So much for all your little ‘friendship’ speeches. You all just scatter and run like little mice at the slightest hint of _unlimited power_.” Aqua whipped another barrier into place right before being hit by a deluge of Blizzaga, Firaga, and Thundaga.

“You’re so bent on the idea that everything we do is pointless,” Aqua challenged, sending her own bolt of Thundaga towards Kefka. “Doesn’t that apply to you as well? Why fight? Why participate?”

“Why fight?” Kefka repeated as he dodged, apparently bewildered. “Well, the obvious reason, of course. If dreams aren’t enough… if hope isn’t enough… if life isn’t enough… then what else is there?” He let out another croaking cackle. “Why, _destruction_. Destruction is what _truly_ makes life worth living!”

Aqua dodged away from a following rain of meteorites. “So it was all nonsense? All those things about wanting to answer questions?”

“Nonsense? Oh, nonsense! Of course I meant it! But what’s the fun in asking questions you don’t know the answers to? Who likes being _wrong?_ ” Kefka laughed again.

The sound was really starting to get on Aqua’s nerves. “Nobody likes being wrong. But being wrong, and _admitting_ that we’re wrong, is how we learn and grow. To insist otherwise is nothing but _stagnation_. To insist on always being _right_ is to shrink your world down to almost _nothing_. It is _childish_ in the extreme.” She shook her head. “I know firsthand. It takes strength to admit that you’re wrong. To remake your worldview to contain ideas you’ve never contemplated. To view events and people in a new light. But the world is never as dark as you think it is. Or,” she added, smiling ruefully, “as light.”

Kefka tilted his head. “…Nah, sounds fake,” he replied, and rushed forwards, taking Aqua off guard. Twin wings erupted from his back, tearing through the Organization coat, and swept forwards, striking at Aqua. She brought up her Keyblade in time to block them, sliding back with the effort; the blows were like iron. Both her and Kefka’s auras, gold and purple, flared, and dissipated. “Don’t you know? There’s a reason why ‘oppose’ rhymes with ‘dispose’. View events and people in a new light? There’s only one thing you need to know about _people_. If they get in your way, kill them!” His smile turned into a sneer. “Read my lips, oh miss high-and-mighty – _mercy_ is for _wimps!_ ”

“I couldn’t agree _more!_ ” With a roar, Vanitas erupted out of the ground under Kefka’s feet, his Keyblade extended into its scythe form. Kekfa shrieked as the blade left a long, thin slice running up his face from his jaw all the way to his hairline.

“You…. You _brat!_ ” he snarled as Vanitas rejoined Aqua. “I hate hate hate hate hate hate... hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE YOU!” His eyes narrowed, and he shrugged out of the rags of his shredded Organization coat. Like Lea and the other alumni of the original Organization had insisted, he was shirtless beneath it. Thankfully the greasepaint didn’t go further than his neck. “You remind me well – what fun is destruction if no ‘precious’ lives are lost? Your meaningless lives… Your meaningless dreams… Your meaningless hopes…” As he spoke, Kefka slowly rose into the air once more. Along his arms and across his chest, points of light began to glow brightly, in many different colours. The wings grew even larger, and his skin took on an unhealthy dark purple hue.

“Did I just make it worse?” Vanitas asked Aqua.

“Such meaningless things…” Kefka continued, as if speaking to an audience of himself alone. “… _I’ll destroy them all!_ ”

Power burst from his body like a shockwave, impacting Vanitas and Aqua. Both braced for impact just before it hit, but nothing appeared to happen. “Um?” asked Vanitas.

Aqua frowned, confused, then attempted to cast a spell. Her eyes widened. “I… I can’t make barriers.”

“Oh, great. This is gonna suck,” Vanitas muttered.

Another wave of energy burst from Kefka, coalescing into a grouping of triangles. Aqua managed to jump out of the way, but Vanitas wasn’t so lucky. Immediately, his vision went black. When he opened his mouth to inform Aqua he’d been Blinded, he found he couldn’t make a sound, either.

His vision and voice returned in a flash as he saw Aqua lower her Keyblade. “Esuna still works, for now,” she said, and Vanitas nodded his thanks. Across the field, Kefka seemed angered.

“That does it!” he screeched. “No better time for a bloodbath!”

Around him, the ground started to tremble. The wind picked up, howling around him, as pieces of rock were yanked out of the ground. The whirlwind expanded, moving faster and faster as the wave of ruin spread outwards towards Vanitas and Aqua.

Aqua stabbed her Keyblade into the ground and cast Gravity and Magnet just as the wind reached her. Vanitas wasn’t as quick, and was nearly pulled into the air before Aqua grabbed his hand, holding onto him like both their lives depended on it.

“Any new bright ideas?” Vanitas edged out, hoping for a miracle.

Aqua scanned the magical being before her. Kefka, meanwhile, seemed drunk on his own power. “Fly, you fools! I have seen the top of the mountain, and you will worship me as though I were a god! The God of Magic! How about that?!” He laughed again, the haunting, harsh croak that sent chills up their spines. “It feels so good to _dominate!_ ”

There was still a debris cloud around him, and the wind was whipping up into a tornado-like structure with Kefka in the eye. Vanitas watched Aqua’s eyes flick from the winds, to the debris, to Kefka, back to the winds, to Vanitas himself, to Kefka, back to the debris, until finally settling on Vanitas. “Well?” he asked.

Aqua took a deep breath. “Vanitas… do you trust me?”

“Excuse me?”

“I have a plan. I think I can get you a clear shot at him. But… I’d have to let go of your hand.”

Vanitas stared at her. Their helmets were close enough together that they could see each other’s faces. Aqua was looking at him with the firm and unshakeable confidence he’d always seen when facing her down in a fight… but he knew her better, now. He could see the fear in her eyes. What she was planning was a gamble, he could tell that much. And she was afraid. Afraid it wouldn’t work. Maybe afraid for his safety. Maybe… Afraid that…

He nodded. “Yes, Aqua. I trust you.” He smiled sardonically, knowing she could see it, hiding his own terror. “With my life.”

She smiled back, managing to hide her fear about as well as he was hiding his, and nodded. “When I say so, let go. The wind should carry you to the top of the whirlwind. From there, it’s a straight shot down for you to stab the bastard.”

“What about you?” Vanitas asked. “Wouldn’t that leave you open?”

Aqua shrugged. “That’s a risk I… _we,_ have to take.”

He could feel her hand trembling. Or maybe that was his. “Aqua…” he said, struggling to find the words.

“Yes, Vanitas?” she asked.

“…If you die I’m going to be really pissed at you. So don’t do that,” he mumbled.

She chuckled, and squeezed his hand tighter; at least, he thought she did, considering their hands were both gauntleted in armour. “I promise. Ready?”

He nodded. “Ready.”

Aqua let go.

Vanitas sailed through the air with the greatest of ease. He was suddenly, queasily reminded of riding a host of half-dead Keyblades, but he shook the thought out of his head, and rose to the top of the whirlwind.

Down below, Kefka was still pontificating. “The end comes… beyond chaos!” he exclaimed, and the ground shook. Vanitas, in mid-air, was buffeted and blown further down the whirlwind. He gasped in pain, cast a quick Curaga, and pushed himself off a chunk of rock with Flowmotion, returning to his course.

Aqua, down on the ground, shrieked in pain and cast her own Curaga. Kefka’s laugh rang in her ears, and she gritted her teeth, hanging on. Her job right now was tank and distraction. And she’d fulfill that job no matter what.

Kefka, for his part, was letting ring peals of laughter. “You know,” he said, zeroing in on Aqua, “Angelic as these make me look… I’d have to say I’m pretty _heartless_.”

A small, golden point of light slowly descended before Aqua’s face. Staring into it, she was confused to see a small male-looking child with white wings and a golden ring above their head. The child smiled beatifically; then the smile turned to a grotesque rictus, and the worst pain Aqua had ever endured wracked her body.

Galvanized by Aqua’s scream of agony, Vanitas pushed forwards best he could to the top of the whirlwind. Below him, Kefka was still laughing. “And just as quickly as they arrive, your life, your dreams, your hope… all gone! Where have they gone? Where did they come from? Newsflash, people: it doesn’t _matter!_ None of that junk is enough to fill your hearts! Well, those of you that have them, at any rate. Now, destruction… _destruction_ makes a life worth living! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy! Let’s destroy _EVERYTHING!_ ”

“Let’s start… with _you!_ ” Vanitas bellowed, and launched himself through the air, Keyblade scythe aimed downwards, directly at Kefka’s head. The fey madcap had just enough time to look up and register his imminent demise before Vanitas’s blade plunged through his forehead.

Kefka’s eyes went dark, and the wind died down as he – and Vanitas, now weighing him down – fell out of the sky. Kefka landed with a wet splat, and Vanitas rolled as he hit the ground. “Okay, fuck you, making sure,” Vanitas said, and swung his scythe around. He was pretty sure Kefka wouldn’t be resuscitating without his head.

He tore his helmet off. “Aqua? Aqua!”

She was right where he’d left her. He rushed to her side. “Aqua, you’d better fucking still be alive, or so help me–”

His words died in his throat.

Aqua wasn’t responding.

“No, no no no no no _no_ , _Aqua_ , come _on!_ ” he urged, falling to his knees beside her and yanking off her helmet.

There was a glassy look in her eyes. Her cheeks were pale. She didn’t move. Thinking quickly, he held his own helmet up to her mouth

Her breath fogged the glass.

“Still breathing, still breathing, _Curaga!_ ” Vanitas shouted, panicked.

Aqua’s breathing grew stronger, and she gasped, still too weak to sit up. 

“That’s it, Aqua, come on, you can do it, _Curaga!_ ” Vanitas said, encouraging. He wasn’t quite sure when he’d scooped her into his arms, but she was there.

Aqua’s eyes seemed to focus. “Vani…tas…” she gasped.

“Don’t try to talk, I don’t know what he hit you with, but it wasn’t good,” Vanitas said. “ _Curaga!_ ”

More colour returned to her cheeks, and she jerked in his arms. He let her sit up under her own power. “Aqua?” he asked, not caring to hide how worried he’d been.

Aqua took a few deep breaths, then cast her own Curaga. “I’m here, Vanitas. I’m alive. Is he…?”

“Dead,” Vanitas said. “I double-tapped.”

She gave him a wry look, but relented. “Well done.”

“Two for two on Xehanorts,” he agreed, cocky. “I’m having a good day.”

It started as a giggle, then grew into a full belly laugh. He blinked as Aqua devolved into a spasm of laughter. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, calming down. “It just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

She noticed the way he was staring. “What?”

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Still new to this whole ‘you-not-hating-me’ thing.”

She let out a breath, and put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s partially my fault. I can call you a… what was the word…? A ‘douchenozzle’, if that makes you more comfortable?”

Vanitas blinked. “A what?”

Aqua shrugged. “I don’t know, ask Kairi. Apparently it’s insulting.”

“Well then I stand insulted,” Vanitas said, drily. He sighed. “Aqua?”

“Yes, Vanitas?” she replied.

“If… you’re serious about the whole… ‘friends’ thing–”

“I am,” she interrupted. He shot her a look. “Sorry, go on.”

He took a deep breath. “If you are, then… you should… call me Van.”

Aqua’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

Vanitas nodded. “Yeah. I mean… all my friends do.”

The smile that lit up her face was the biggest he’d ever seen from her directed at him. “Okay, Van,” she said, and something in his chest did a flip.

Before he could try to figure out what it was, a strange smell drifted into his nostrils. The closest thing he had to compare it to was seaweed; he’d had enough of that on the Destiny Islands, the one time he’d been there. There was also a distinct note of salt water. And underneath it, a familiar acrid scent of… “Aqua,” he said, slowly, “Why do you smell like darkness?”

She actually blushed. “Well… um… in my last fight, I… kind of… drew on… my darkness?

Vanitas stared at her. Another thing to add to today’s pile of firsts, the first time Aqua had looked at him like he’d caught her before she could stash the magazine under her bed. “It’s… I’m okay, right?” she asked, a hint of fear leaching into her voice. “If it was just my own… it _was_ just my own, right?”

“No, no, yes, of course, it’s definitely just yours, but… I’m shocked. You, of all people?” Vanitas said. And he meant it. “Why aren’t you, I dunno, freaking the fuck out or something?”

“Well,” Aqua said, shrugging. There was a red tinge to her cheeks. Something in Vanitas’s chest did a flop. “Like I said, if we don’t admit when we’re wrong, we limit ourselves. I had to do it to save Kairi… and I’m okay with that. I would prefer never to have to do it again… but I’m not afraid of something that’s just a natural part of me. Not anymore.” She looked at him and smiled. “And it’s thanks to you, and Riku and Terra, that I even considered that. That’s why I’m not freaked out. And… if something did go wrong, if I lost myself… I trust you to help me the way you helped Terra.”

“You’d want that?” Vanitas asked.

“Well, not for it to happen, of course,” Aqua said. “But if it became necessary, yes.” She smiled, softly. “I don’t know when I got so comfortable around you, but… I am.”

Vanitas smirked. “Yeah, I guess it’s the same for me. Still think you’re a light-happy bleeding heart,” he said, climbing to his feet, “but…” he held out his hand to help her up. “I guess that’s not a bad thing.”

Aqua rolled her eyes, still smiling, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. “Glad to hear it, Van.”

Vanitas let out a huff of laughter, and shook his head. “Well, people are waiting for us, we should get going.”

Aqua nodded. “All right. We’ll have to go alone for a while, but our hearts will bring us back together again. I know it.”

It was Vanitas’s turn to roll his eyes, but he smirked and followed her to the far wall, which had two holes in contrast to the one in the wall Aqua had entered through. Before they stepped in, he called, “Aqua?”

“Yes, Van?”

He ignored the sensation in his chest. “I’m… glad to be your friend,” he mumbled. “And… I’m glad to have you as mine.”

She beamed. “I’m glad to hear it,” she said, and stepped into her pathway.

Vanitas entered his own. This was a good thing, he told himself. It was new, and it was strange, but it was good.

So why did it feel like his heart was being squeezed in a vice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaaat? Kefka came back to life? Who could have possibly predicted that?! D:  
> Final Fantasy VI has been described to me as "Star Wars, but halfway through the Emperor is usurped by the Joker". And having played it, that's not inaccurate? That being the case, though, I tried my best to not write Kefka just as the Joker; which is why a decent amount of his dialog is FF6 (and Dissidia NT) quotes. Perhaps I should've just gone full Hamil with it.  
> Speaking of Dissidia NT, as part of research for this, I played a few rounds as Kefka. I found that playing NT with a fightstick is much better than with a controller. (Still can't in good conscience recommend the game based on gameplay, though.) His habit of dodging out of the way in this chapter is also a direct reference to (read: salt about) his AI in his story mode pseudo-boss battle. Asshole would not stop _running away_. He was fun to play as, though, and some of his powers here are based on his Dissidia movelist. The rest, of course, are based on his actual abilities from FF6; and I have to point something out here. Square Enix, for whatever reason, is in the habit of reusing boss attacks across Final Fantasy games. You may recognize the attack that nearly kills Aqua here as Heartless Angel. "Wait a second", you might be saying to yourself, "isn't that Sephiroth's move?" And the answer is: No. Sephiroth uses it, sure, and he has the whole "angel" motif going on, but Heartless Angel was originally _Kefka's_ attack. (And for all of you FF9 fans, Grand Cross was originally Exdeath's attack from FF5. Although I'd say that gets a pass since FF9 is basically a love letter to the first 6 FF games. The more you know!)  
> For those of you who _are_ familiar with our fey madcap, you might have noticed a slight difference, or rather an extra detail, in my description of Kefka's "God of Magic" form. Remember, this is a Kingdom Hearts-original Kefka, not FF6-Kefka. And even though he is actually for-real dead now (Vanitas double-tapped), I do plan on exploring where he came from and what his deal was at some point in the future. ~~Something something _experimenTATION_.~~ More on this later.  
> As for Aqua and Vanitas, I think their stuff is pretty self-explanatory? It's a shame that at the moment only Ven knows what the full import of the auras going out is, huh? Damn shame.  
> Yes, the shift in Aqua's behaviour towards Vanitas since the "Belle" chapter of Princess of Destiny was simply that she now considered them to be friends. Which, Vanitas being Vanitas, he wasn't going to pick up on without it being pointed out to him. But, now that's out in the open, and they're officially friends! Isn't that great? Friends! :D  
> In other news, in addition to finishing the story (still have to do the postgame but I'm going to wait until June) of Pokémon Sword, I also managed to finish Pokémon Let's Go Eevee last weekend, which means my unfinished JRPG palette is finally clear! Which means that this weekend, I'll be starting a little game you may have heard of named Final Fantasy X...  
> I think that's everything! And with this chapter, we're officially halfway through the NortFight! Which means that it's time for an intermission, of sorts. You'll see what I mean next week. All I can tell you is... well... things may be seldom what they seem...


	11. Interlude - The Mistress of Evil

Worlds away from the place where Light and Darkness clashed long ago and now, a tall woman cloaked in black robes and Darkness strode along a stone path. Following behind her bumbled a behemoth, a tall being that some would consider a cat, and others a bear; but all would know as Pete.

Maleficent’s staff clacked on the ground as she walked. This had clearly once been a proud city, but it had long since fallen to ruin. It rose out of an endless ocean, surrounded by similar cities, each built into a rough pyramid or cone. The pale white of its walls had yellowed with age and decay, its once-proud buildings were crumbling, and small gardens had overgrown, breaking the path they trod with growth.

Oddly, especially for a world long abandoned, there were no Heartless in the area. That in and of itself was suspicious.

Or, if you were Pete, nerves-inducing. “M-Maleficent, not for nothing, but what’re we doin’ here?” he asked, in a quavering voice that belied his size. “I thought we was lookin’ for that box…?”

“That being the case, did you not consider that we are here in pursuit of the box in question?” Maleficent retorted, not looking back at him. “Fool.”

“Well, yeah, but… where are we?” Pete asked. “An’ what makes ya think the box is here?”

“I have my reasons,” Maleficent replied, curtly. “And you do not need to understand them in order to do your job.”

“Right, right,” Pete said, and gulped, looking around. “Sure is… spooky.”

Maleficent let the comment pass without a response. There was another matter that troubled her, one that Pete had put his finger directly on without realizing it.

As it so happened, she had no idea what this world was.

She’d had a dream – or maybe a vision – or maybe it was real. Whatever it had been, it had directed her to this world. The troubling thing was she had no idea where the idea had come from, or, moreover, _who_ it had come from. She certainly hadn’t come up with it on her own.

The only thing she had to go on was a brief flash of pale red eyes, a cruel smile, and a thin, red heart. She found it… intriguing.

Of course, it was clearly a trap of some sort. In Maleficent’s experience, the answers she sought didn’t merely appear out of the void; nor, too, was anything given without a price. However, the quickest way to discover the reason behind a trap was to spring it; spring it, and make whoever set it pay for their insolence in thinking they could overcome her.

“Hey, Maleficent?” Pete asked, bringing her out of her reverie. “S’it just me, or is there a light on in that there buildin’?”

Maleficent turned in the direction he was looking, and stopped. Pete was right. “Perhaps this world is not as abandoned as it appears,” she said, and strode towards the lighted building. Pete took a second to realize she’d changed course, and hurried after her.

The building’s door managed to dwarf even Pete, and it stood at the top of a long staircase. Maleficent stood aside as Pete opened the door for her; it took much less effort than he’d been anticipating. Inside the door was a long chamber. Maleficent paused in shock at what at first sight appeared to be an army amassed inside the room, then sighed in annoyance with herself upon realizing it was row upon row of suits of armour. “An armory?” she murmured, half to herself.

“Hey, these look a little bit like that armour what those Keybladers had way back when,” Pete said, at normal volume, right beside her. Maleficent glared at him, but then turned back to consider his words. Pete was right; the design was more archaic, much more ornate than what Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had possessed, but there were certain similarities.

To the point that each suit of armour carried not a sword, but a Keyblade.

“How fascinating,” Maleficent mused. “This world has known Keyblade wielders, then.”

“Might explain why there’s no Heartless,” Pete agreed.

Maleficent stepped forwards and brushed her hand against the nearest suit of armour. She inspected her fingertips; coated in dust. “This world has been abandoned far too long for that to be true,” she said, and wiped her hand on Pete’s shoulder despite his protests. “Heartless are wily creatures; they would have found their way back in the ages since this place was abandoned.”

The two proceeded through the room, noting that other Keyblades were hung on racks on the walls. “I had thought that Keyblades were tied to a person’s heart,” Maleficent wondered aloud. “If that is the case, would these not have vanished as those hearts died?”

“Maybe they’re jus’ ceremonninial,” Pete said.

“Ceremonial?” Maleficent questioned, turning back to look at him.

Pete shrank back from her gaze. “Y-yeah. Mebbe they ain’t real Keyblades,” he said. “Maybe they was just made to _look_ like Keyblades.”

Maleficent stared at him for a minute. “Hmm,” she said eventually, turning around. “I suppose even a half-wit is still a wit. You may be right.”

At the back of the room, up a short flight of stairs to a dais, stood another door. This one was just as tall as the first, but also as wide as it was tall. Further, unlike the normal, rectangular door they’d entered through, this one was round. “Huh. Some kinda bank vault?” Pete mused.

“Perhaps our prize is within this vault,” Maleficent said.

“There is nothing for you here.”

The pair turned. Off to the side, by a small room they’d been too distracted by the giant door to notice, stood a person in brown robes. A cloak obscured their face, but the voice was unmistakeably masculine. The man stood tall, unbent and unbowed, which told Maleficent that it was not Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.

“Who are you? And what is this world?” Maleficent demanded, in her most regal tone.

“You stand upon the ruined city of the Keybearers of old, long since fallen, long since lost to time. None have stood here since ages past,” said the man. “You have come to Scala ad Caelum. And now, you will leave.”

“I beg your pardon?” Maleficent asked, haughtily. “Do you have _any_ idea who I am?”

“As a matter of fact, I do, Maleficent of Enchanted Dominion,” the man replied. Maleficent’s eyes widened. “And I know what you seek, my lady. You will not find it here.”

“I seek–”

“A black box, sealed with thirteen locks, around the size of a steamer trunk,” the man interrupted. “I know. It is not here. You will not find it here. You will leave.”

The bit about the locks was new to Maleficent, but she didn’t let it show. “Who _are_ you?” she asked again. “What are you doing here, if this world was long abandoned?”

“I am no one. I’ve had names before, but I am the only one who remembers my true name,” the man said. “I am a guardian, and nothing else. I am one who has lost, and claimed anew, and who has claimed anew only to lose.”

“Wait, if the box ain’t here, then what’re ya guarding? An’ what’s behind this door?” Pete interrupted.

The man tilted his head. “The door.”

Pete frowned. “Yer guardin’ the door?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“What’s behind it?”

“That which needs guarding.”

“So you’re guardin’ it?”

“Yes.”

“ _Enough_ ,” Maleficent hissed. “If you won’t tell us, we will simply open the door ourselves.”

“No, you won’t.” said the man.

“I believe, we will,” Maleficent said. Behind her, Pete pulled out a bomb.

“No, I _know_ , you won’t,” the man said. There was a bright flash in his hand.

When it faded, the man was holding an oblong shape. Stained glass encircled a white handle from which rose a purple blade, wrapped in thorny vines. The vines extended to a bouquet of four red roses. Another rose hung from the pommel on a silver chain similarly wrapped in vine.

Pete dropped the bomb, which he thankfully hadn’t yet lit. Maleficent took a step back. “You have… a Keyblade?” she asked, in a dangerously quiet tone.

The man nodded. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said, equally quietly. “I do not have the box you seek. What you desire is not beyond this door. There is nothing for you in this dead world. Leave.”

Pete tapped Maleficent on the shoulder. “Um, Maleficent, look, not that we can’t take this guy… but do we _need_ to? If he’s right and the box ain’t here…”

“I see no reason why he wouldn’t be lying to us,” she replied, then frowned. “However… if this vault is sealed and protected by a Keyblade wielder… odds are favourable that a Keyblade would be required to open it. Which we do not have.”

“I hope you aren’t having second thoughts,” the man interjected. “Crossing me would be a big mistake.”

“If you are so determined to protect what lies within, and you insist that it is not what we seek,” Maleficent said, turning back to him, “then open the vault, Keyblade wielder. Show us what is inside.”

The man shook his head. “I cannot.”

“Oh?” Maleficent asked. “But you possess the Keyblade. Can you not open any lock? Can you not open any door?”

In response, the man slowly lifted his Keyblade, and tapped the door.

Nothing happened.

“This door,” he said, “can only be opened by two specific Keys. Neither of which are in my possession. Would that I could open this door, my lady. But I cannot. However, I was there when it was sealed. I know what was placed inside before it was closed. And the box you seek was not there. Your goal is still attainable; but this place will not assist you in it. All you do is waste your time, and mine.”

Maleficent considered this. “Then tell me. What is within this vault?”

The man stared directly at her. “The seeds of hope, who begat a new future at the cost of their own. Blown across the worlds, spread to give light anew; and awaiting the one who will open the door, and set them free.”

There was a moment of silence.

“You know,” Pete muttered to himself. “Eventually we’s gonna run into someone who ain’t ridiculously cryptic for no reason. We just _gotta_. It’s _math_.”

Maleficent studied the robed man. “…Very well,” she said eventually.

“Maleficent?” Pete asked.

“We shall leave your domain,” she continued, ignoring Pete. “But mark my words, Keyblade wielder. I have not finished with you, or your world. The box may not be here, but there must be secrets to be plundered; knowledge to be rediscovered. One day, I shall return, and have them.”

The man inclined his head in a slight bow. “With the greatest possible respect, my lady… over my dead body.”

“That is the idea, yes,” Maleficent said breezily, and turned. “Pete, we’re leaving.”

“Uh, right,” Pete said, casting one last hasty glance at the man with the Keyblade before following Maleficent through the Dark Corridor she’d summoned.

The portal lingered for a while after they vanished through it, before the man raised a hand and closed it. “No more of that,” he murmured to himself. He turned back towards the vault door, and sighed.

“That Keyblade’s power… someday I shall make it my own. This, I swear to you… my friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had ever seen an episode of Pinky and the Brain, I might try to come up with a theme tune parody for "Maleficent and Pete"; but I have not. (Also that's one too many syllables to scan properly, sadly).  
> I'm fully aware that this raises many more questions than it answers, but if Nomura can stick plot threads for the next arc in before the ending of the current one, then so can I, and y'all're just going to have to deal with it!  
> I can answer some questions, however. Initially (meaning, before KHIII), this was supposed to take place in a world of my own design called the "Library of the Ancients". It may or may not have been several miles below the surface of the Keyblade Graveyard. I say "may or may not" because I hadn't decided yet when KHIII gave me a whole new canon location relevant to Keybearers to use instead. For the purposes of this AU, young Xehanort and Eraqus were trained entirely at the Land of Departure, and Eraqus has never set foot here in Scala (Xehanort has... once. More on this later).  
> I did not realize how fun writing Maleficent and Pete's dynamic could be. But it's _very_ fun. I want to believe that on some level, Maleficent realizes that Pete _can_ be competent given enough oversight and direction. As for the face Maleficent may or may not have seen... This time, I don't intend to have the Giant Space Flea come from nowhere. And that's your hint. ;)  
> As for the mysterious Keyblade wielder, I'm sure you can guess who it is even before the voice actor allusions (to both his English and Japanese VAs, no less). And that's all I'm going to say on that, for now.  
> And that's about it! Next week we're back to the Graveyard, back to the war. There's only one Guardian currently unaccounted for, so let's check in on what Terra's doing, shall we? Until then!


	12. A Light From The Shadows Shall Spring

After what seemed to him to be a ridiculously long time to be running through a dark, narrow stone corridor, Terra burst out into the light. He turned, scanning the area.

There were more holes in the wall behind him, but for the moment he was on his own.

“Ah, Terra. So good of you to join me,” said an obnoxiously familiar voice.

Terra stiffened. “So you’re here, too,” he said, tone frigid.

“Of course I am. Why would I not be?” The Seeker on the other end of the area stepped forwards, into the light, and took off his hood, revealing a familiar face.

Terra’s face.

“My, Terra. How _old_ you’ve become,” said Xehanort.

“And how long has it been for you?” Terra asked. “Since you stole my body?”

“Between entering this new vessel and my retrieval to become one of the thirteen Seekers?” Xehanort asked. “Minutes. Perhaps less.”

“Guess that explains why your memory’s intact,” Terra said, frowning.

“Indeed,” Xehanort said. “I believe we both know how this duel goes.”

Behind his helmet, Terra smiled. “Do we?”

He summoned his Keyblade, and Xehanort summoned his. “You wanna explain how there can be two of that Keyblade existing at once?” Terra challenged.

“Many things can be made possible through the motions of time,” Xehanort replied, smiling. The smile looked mocking on Terra’s face. The real Terra frowned.

“And once I defeat you, you’ll be back to your own time,” he said. His aura and Xehanort’s both flared.

“How very certain you are,” Xehanort said, chuckling. “Might I remind you of your track record?”

“Of one win?” Terra replied.

“Of _failure_ ,” Xehanort responded.

Terra made a show of looking around. “Failure? I have my body back,” he said, briefly removing his helmet. “It might have taken a while. But there are many paths to victory.”

“Indeed,” Xehanort said, smirking. “But victory for whom?”

The two moved as one. Darkness swirled in the area as Keyblades clashed and struck. “My. You have grown stronger since last we fought,” Xehanort said.

“Thirteen years of training in a wasteland will do that to you,” Terra replied through gritted teeth. Xehanort’s blows were still like iron.

“Ah, yes, I was told about this,” Xehanort said. The bastard didn’t seem to be the least bit strained as their duel continued. “The last pathetic remnants of your will linger on in your armour. Left behind as a monument to your and your friends’ failures.”

“ _After_ beating you down so hard it gave you amnesia,” Terra countered, parrying a strike and lunging forwards.

“Clearly only a minor setback,” Xehanort drawled. Terra glared at him. There wasn’t enough room in the area for his glider, and he didn’t want to risk potentially damaging the wall behind Xehanort – and anyone in a tunnel that might pass through there – with the cannon.

His Keyblade changed into a whip, and Xehanort raised an eyebrow. “I see you did learn something new,” he said. The tone was that of a less-than-stellar parent impressed that their child could add two and two. Terra swept his whip forwards, catching Xehanort’s Keyblade.

Xehanort shook his head. “And yet…” He cast Thundaga.

The electricity shot through his Keyblade and down the length of Terra’s. Terra gasped, pained, and flicked his Keyblade away from Xehanort’s. The old master in the young body laughed. “A simple trick, easily countered,” he mocked. “It appears you have learned _nothing_.”

Terra gritted his teeth, and charged at the other man. Xehanort brought up his Keyblade to block with a sadistic smile. “Again and again, you charge forwards, never faltering, never _thinking_ , never taking a second to contemplate the correct move,” he said.

“I don’t think we agree on what the right move is,” Terra said, voice strained.

Xehanort took a step forwards, pushing against Terra’s guard and forcing him back while maintaining the blade lock. “No? Well, I suppose not. For you, the right move would be to surrender to the Darkness. To cease to oppose me, and fade, as the past should. That is _my_ perspective on the matter, at any rate.”

Terra grinned behind his faceplate. He was still being pushed back. “And mine says I should stand up and fight. Do whatever I can to stop you, no matter what the personal cost. Fight for what’s right, without question or pause.”

“And be willing to march into Hell for what you perceive as a heavenly cause?” Xehanort asked, mocking. “You’ve learned nothing, Terra. Still just the same misguided child with delusions of heroism.” Terra’s armour clanked against the rock wall; he could be pushed back no further.

“If I can save even one person, help even one person, it’s worth all the effort and sacrifice,” Terra replied.

Xehanort laughed. “Oh, Terra. You cannot even help _yourself_.” He removed a hand from his Keyblade, which did nothing to lessen the push against Terra’s. “I was also told that your heart still resides within this body – save when I push it out as my Guardian Heartless.” His head tilted, his superior smile still in place. “I had not even realized I could do that, yet. My own Heartless was very informative on the matter. He is quite the teacher.”

“I’ve heard opinions to the contrary,” Terra replied, through gritted teeth.

“I am unsurprised,” Xehanort replied. “Yet… if your heart is still within me… then I believe… this Keyblade equally belongs to _me_.” His free hand closed around Ends of the Earth’s hilt.

Terra gasped, feeling a pull deep in his heart, as his Keyblade was ripped out of his hand. Xehanort stepped back, smirking to himself. “And now your failure is complete,” he said, inspecting Terra’s blade. “Weaponless, alone, and shortly to succumb to the Darkness.” He brought both Keyblades down towards Terra’s shoulders.

Terra caught his wrists before the Keyblades made contact, grunting with the effort. “Backed against a wall, with no one to turn to, and no way to escape,” Xehanort continued. Terra’s hands shook. Slowly, inch by terrible inch, Xehanort’s Keyblades grew closer.

“There’s one thing you’re not accounting for,” Terra grunted.

“Oh?” Xehanort asked. “And what would that be?”

Behind the helmet, Terra smiled. “It wasn’t just my _will_ training while I was away.”

On the wall behind him, a Dark Corridor swirled into being.

With a mighty shove, Terra broke away from Xehanort and sunk back through the Corridor. “What?” Xehanort gasped.

A few feet away, Terra stepped out of the Corridor. “Thirteen years my will trained with the Keyblade in this Graveyard. And in that thirteen years, my _body_ learned other things. And the Keyblade isn’t my only weapon.”

With a sharp _snap-hiss_ , two beams of brilliant blue light extended from Terra’s palms. He rolled his shoulders, and grinned. “Just want you to know, the look on your face right now is _perfect_.”

“Hmm, intriguing.”

High up above the arena where Terra battled the Xehanort of thirteen years ago, Xemnas looked down with interest.

“This is a strange new feeling,” he said, conversationally. “Pride… in the actions of someone _else_.”

He looked back over to Xion, whom he was holding up by the neck. She was gasping for air, and rapidly turning blue. At his feet, Roxas made a desperate attempt to free his hand from under Xemnas’s boot and grab for his Keyblade. Frowning, Xemnas twisted his heel.

There was a sharp crack, and a scream of agony from Roxas as his hand broke.

Xion went limp in Xemnas’s grip. He turned back towards her, just in time for her to whip her foot up; she’d stopped struggling to trick him into lowering his guard.

And as it turned out, she was exactly the right height for her foot to make contact with a rather… sensitive part of his anatomy.

Unfortunately, any pride was immediately overshadowed by unyielding pain.

“Impossible,” Xehanort snarled.

Terra shrugged. “How so? It was _my_ body that became Xemnas. Why would I have lost his skills?” He brought the Ethereal Blades up to block Xehanort’s sudden attack.

“And you use the Corridors, despite your fear of the dark?” Xehanort hissed.

“There’s being afraid of the dark, then there’s being afraid of myself,” Terra countered. “I have darkness in me; that doesn’t make me different from anyone else. You told me once that it couldn’t be controlled, that all you can do with darkness is channel it. You were _wrong_. I control my darkness. It doesn’t control me. It’s a part of me, it will not consume me. But you…” Terra shook his head. “You never discovered that distinction, did you? You lost yourself in the Darkness. To the Darkness.”

“Is that _pity_ I hear in your voice, Terra?” Xehanort asked, amused.

“After everything you’ve done? No. I think you’re beyond pity at this point,” Terra replied.

Xehanort’s eyes narrowed. He pushed back, and let out a blast of Dark Firaga.

A checkerboard barrier sprang up in front of Terra, catching the spell and holding it until it burned itself out. “Everything means everything,” Terra said.

Fury etched itself through Xehanort’s eyes, but just as quickly extinguished itself. The old master shook his head. “All his skills, you say,” he said. “And yet… One would surmise that _having_ his skill set is not the same thing as _being able to perform_ his skills.”

“I’ve had plenty of practice,” Terra said.

Xehanort shook his head. “No, _Xemnas_ had large amounts of practice. You, Terra… you have no experience. All you have is memories. There is some irony in that.”

Terra frowned, and rushed towards Xehanort, bringing his blades up to strike. “For one,” Xehanort said, parrying effortlessly, “these are not cutting weapons. For all that Xemnas calls them ‘blades’, they are but very gaudy clubs. For another, _you_ remain the same, Terra. _You_ have not the skill or experience to best me, as has been shown time and again. So tell me,” he said, flipping his Keyblades under Terra’s guard and spreading his arms out, pulling Terra’s arms out to his sides, “How exactly do you expect to _win_ , Terra?”

There was a slight, familiar tugging on the depths of Terra’s heart. Though Xehanort couldn’t see it, he smiled. “Well,” he said, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”

As he spoke, three sets of footsteps sounded in the direction he’d come from. Aqua, Ventus, and Vanitas all stepped out of their respective tunnels, Keyblades out and ready.

“My mistake last time was trying to fight you alone,” Terra continued.

“So he’s here, too, huh?” Aqua said. She looked closer and blinked. “Why does he have your Keyblade? And what’s with the lightsabers?”

“The what?” Terra asked, then shook his head. “Never mind. He pulled it out of my hand, since my heart’s technically still in his body.”

“Sounds messy,” Ven said. “Can we beat him up without harming you?”

Terra nodded. “I think so. Time paradoxes and all that.”

Vanitas, meanwhile, had said nothing, his grip tensing on his Keyblade as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

Xehanort slowly laughed. “And as always, it comes down to the five of us, here in the Keyblade Graveyard,” he said. “The place it all began–”

“And the place it’ll end,” Terra finished, brandishing his weapons.

“Vanitas? You good?” Ven asked.

The teen was still staring at Xehanort. “Been better,” he grunted.

“Ah, Vanitas,” Xehanort sneered. “The failure has found his place among the weak children, I see.”

Vanitas took a deep breath, then another. “You know what?” he said. “I think I’m beyond accepting your definition of ‘failure’. I’m not taking that from the _idiot_ who screwed over his own plan by being impatient and half-assing it.” He raised his Keyblade. “Fuck you. I’m going to enjoy ramming this down your throat.”

“Not that I’m gonna stop you, but please bear in mind whose throat that actually is,” Terra commented.

“I dunno, that might explain Xemnas’s voice,” Ven said, thoughtfully.

“ _Boys_ ,” Aqua said.

“What, _mom?_ ” Vanitas replied, sarcastic.

“If we could focus? We have an asshole to kill,” she said.

“Language,” Terra replied, automatically.

There was a second of silence. “Oh, right, the helmet. I was rolling my eyes,” Aqua said.

“I was, too,” said Vanitas.

“Oh, yeah, reminds me, when did you get that helmet, Vanitas?” Ven asked. “It’s not the one that you started with.”

“Long story,” Vanitas said.

“Why does it have an Unversed emblem on it?” Terra wondered. “Can you see through that?”

“Of _course_ I can fucking see through it,” Vanitas replied. “Would be a shit helmet otherwise. I’ll get it fixed when we’re done here.”

“So, what, you got tossed into a Dark Corridor and came out with a new fashion statement?” Ven asked.

Xehanort watched this with mild bemusement. This was a far cry from the people he’d (from his perspective) relatively recently left behind in this very graveyard. Shrugging, he blasted a wave of Darkness towards them.

Terra and Vanitas moved as one, stepping in front of Ven and Aqua, and dissipated the Darkness. “Do you mind?” Terra asked, amusement in his tone. “We were having a conversation.”

“Knew we’d forgotten something,” Ven said, nodding to himself.

“You _cannot_ be serious,” Xehanort said. “I stand upon the height of a peak you could not achieve in your wildest dreams, and you write your impending doom off as an _afterthought?_ ”

“No offense, but you’re kind of old news,” Ven said, shrugging. “We had our big blowout fight with you in Terra’s body already. We know how that story ends.”

“Speak for yourself, _Ventus_ ,” Vanitas muttered.

“And has it still not sunk in that you were _allowed_ to win that battle?” Xehanort asked. “Your success was necessary to return Terra, so that he could take his place as a Guardian. Now… I have no such need to allow you to win.” The ground rumbled. Darkness wreathed around him as he raised both Keyblades.

“Oh, we’ll win,” Terra said. Beside him, his friends – his _family_ – raised their own Keyblades. “Whether you want us to or not.”

The five converged on a singular point. Dark Firaga and Thundaga lanced out, but Terra and Aqua’s barriers sprang up, catching the spells before they could hit Ven and Vanitas. Before, when Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had fought the elder Xehanort in Terra’s body, they had moved as a three-part harmony, a feat they had trained at long before any of this. It wouldn’t have been surprising if Vanitas’s presence had thrown them out of that rhythm – however, he slotted in perfectly, turning three-part to four. Ends of the Earth clashed on Rainfell, while No Name was blocked on its thrust towards Aqua’s stomach by Void Gear and Wayward Wind. Both Ven and Vanitas fell to one knee, allowing Terra to use them as a stepping stone in a downward slicing attack. Xehanort let out a sharp grunt of pain as Terra’s blades made contact, and both of their auras flared and vanished.

“Oh, not good,” Ven grunted, but there was no time to explain. Xehanort threw the three Keybearers off and spun forwards, his Keyblades lashing out as whips that wrapped themselves around Terra and Aqua.

“I don’t think so!” Aqua shouted, and both she and Terra let loose golden chains that similarly bound Xehanort. “Now!”

With a gust of Aeroga, Ventus launched himself and Vanitas into the air. Both of them Formchanged their Keyblades as they reached the apex of their jump, and in perfect synchronisation, they slammed down on top of Xehanort.

Xehanort staggered backwards, a glazed look in his eyes, and slowly started to fade from view. “Ah… it seems… the past is… catching up with me,” he said. “But our roles… are complete, Terra.”

“What are you talking about?” Terra demanded, but the Xehanort in his body vanished like he’d never been there. “Where did he go?”

“Back to his own time,” Aqua said. “The same thing happened to a person Kairi and I fought… although… he wasn’t still… um… alive.”

“I see,” Terra said, a little concerned.

“Wait, but your Keyblade!” Aqua said, concerned. “He still had it!”

“I know. I’m not worried,” Terra said.

“Why not?” Ven asked. “Terra, if he has–”

“Think about it, Ven,” Terra said. “If he has my Keyblade, and he went back to thirteen years ago, where is my Keyblade right now?”

“Here in the graveyard?” Ven asked.

Terra shook his head. “Well, sort of, but not what I was thinking. He was able to take my Keyblade because part of my heart is still there in his body. Assuming my Keyblade stayed with that bit of my heart…”

“…You’d still have it,” Vanitas said.

Terra nodded, smiling, and held out his hand.

Ends of the Earth flashed back into existence, none the worse for wear.

“…Could you have done that at any point?” Aqua asked.

“I don’t know,” Terra said. “I don’t think so. If he hadn’t gone back to the past with it, I don’t think it would be here now.”

“Kinda sucks that you couldn’t get your body back,” Vanitas muttered.

Terra looked at him, a touch surprised. “Well, it would’ve caused problems if I had. Paradoxes and all that.” He sighed. “There’re some things I just have to live with, I guess. Much as I’d’ve liked to be the age I feel.” He pulled his helmet off, shaking his hair out – some strands had gotten loose.

“Ven,” Aqua said, pulling her helmet off in kind, “What was the ‘not good’?”

“Huh? Oh, right!” Ven said. “The, uh, the aura going away means you contributed to making the χ–blade. Actually…” he looked around, also taking his helmet off, Vanitas begrudgingly following suit behind him. “Looks like we… all did. Whoops.”

“Shit, was that what that glowing was all about? Fuck,” Vanitas muttered. He and Aqua exchanged guilty looks.

Terra sighed. “Well, we’ll deal with that when it comes. We already know Xehanort can’t stand against the four of us, huh?” He smiled at the other three. Ven and Aqua smiled back, and Vanitas scowled, with the tiniest hint of a blush. “That reminds me, Vanitas, what happened to your Keyblade?”

“You didn’t lose my Keychain, did you?” Ven teased, smirking.

Vanitas flushed. “Fuck _off_ , Ventus,” he replied, fishing the Lost Memory Keychain out of his pocket and throwing it at Ven. “I just… figured it was time to own who I am again.”

Terra nodded, smiling. “I’m proud of you.”

Vanitas blanched. “What?”

“He said, we’re proud of you,” Ven repeated, smirking.

“What the _fuck?_ ” Vanitas looked towards Aqua for some sort of normalcy.

She shrugged, rolling her eyes. “I… tolerate you.” She looked back at him and smirked. The teasing again. Of course. Someday he would figure out what that burning in his chest meant when it happened.

Vanitas huffed. “You can all go fuck yourselves.”

The other three laughed, and despite himself, Vanitas smiled. After a moment’s reprieve, Terra rolled his shoulders. “So, we’re getting closer, right? We have to be.”

“I think so,” Aqua said. She glanced up in the air, towards the menacing, ever-more-defined shape of the χ–blade hanging in the sky. “Not that that’s a good thing.”

“Well, the only way out is through,” Terra said. “And there’s no reason to hang around here anymore. Shall we?”

All replaced their helmets, and the other three followed Terra towards their respective tunnels, and on to the next confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And _that_ is why I always made sure to specify that the previously-appearing Terranort was a post-KH2 Terranort. An "Old Terranort", if you will, as opposed to this "Young Terranort".  
> The idea that Terra should still be able to use Xemnas's skill set (since it's still his body and Lea and Isa didn't lose Axel and Saïx's skills) was one I very much wanted to explore, and something that I've been hinting at for a while (Terra's the one who's been putting up barriers in past fics, even though that skill isn't really associated with him. I've just never mentioned that they were checkerboard patterned). The bit with Xemnas feeling pride in Terra's accomplishments was also something I wanted to do for a while (and is also a DBZA joke I ~~stole~~ lovingly ripped off).  
> The chapter title, continuing Terra's theme of being a LOTR fan, is a line from "All that is gold does not glitter" (aka the prophecy about Aragorn taking up the reforged Narsil and his rightful place as king of Gondor).  
> Like the chapter says, we kind of already had our big BBS 2:Electric Boogaloo fight with Old Terranort back in Finding a Way; aside from showing that Terra can still do that Xemnas shit (with enough practice, eventually) was really most of what I wanted to do here. (This might also be where I started to get sick of writing fight scenes. Hopefully it doesn't show @_@ )  
> This is also why Terra gets Ends of the Earth back in the way that he does. I _could've_ had a long fight, but like Harrison Ford with a cold, I didn't want to do that. Instead, I got to use some fun ~~~ _TIME TRAVEL BULLSHIT_ ~~~.  
> Let's talk about time paradogs.  
> You probably want to ask, did Terra have two of his Keyblade the whole time? The answer is, "no"... up until the moment that Young Terranort went back to the past still in possession of Ends of the Earth. From that point on, Terra had always unknowingly had two of his Keyblade. Confused? Don't worry, it's confusing. Basically, think of the timeline as having been "tweaked" a little. Everything's mostly the same, there's just a little extra bit added in that no one knew about.  
> You might also be wondering why I didn't restore Terra to his normal age. To answer that, we once more have to talk about a potential time pair-o'-socks.  
> Remember that unlike canon, the time travel in this series isn't bringing hearts forwards in time, but rather entire bodies. If Terra were to transfer into his younger body here, there would be no Apprentice Xehanort to become Xemnas. Presto, change-o, pair-o'-socks. (I can't not put these on!)  
> You may be asking, "But Sannae, how did Terra get his body back in canon, then? Wouldn't that be a paradox?" And the answer is, yes. Yes it was. At least, until Re:Mind. And unfortunately to explain this I have to break the "no talking about Re:Mind in the notes until Chapter 14" rule, but. It's been months. I'm sure you've all played or seen it by now.  
> Re:Mind explained a few of the finer points of the time travel, such as who came from the past. Terranort, in KH3, did indeed come from the past. Which means that, as per Kingdom Hearts's time travel rules, only his heart (and Terra's, conjoined to it) was brought forwards in time, and placed inside a Replica body. It's this Replica body that Terra takes over when he becomes himself again. As for what happened to his _real_ body? Never explained. Ain't temporal mechanics fun? (Re:Mind also prevents a paradox that would've existed from transferring Terra's heart from the past into his new body: What Sora transfers are actually the bits of Terra that remained with the Lingering Will. Instead of, you know, the bits of Terra that were supposed to become Ansem's Guardian. Kind of hard for KH1 to have happened without those).  
> I think that's about everything, and FFVIIR has finished installing, so that's what my weekend is going to be. Next time, it's time for the end of an era.  
> Because it's Xemnas's turn on the chopping block.  
> Long live the king.


	13. Superiority of the In-Between

Roxas slid back to where Xion was crouching, both panting hard. Xemnas, the bastard, wasn’t even sweating. “You all right?” she asked, glancing at him.

“Been better,” he said, flexing his hand. He’d only been able to get a Cure off, and it was still sore.

Xemnas shook his head as he stepped towards them. “I must say, I’m having more fun than I’ve had in ages. Of course, it’s been ages since I felt _anything_ , so the comparison may be somewhat unbalanced.” He blinked as they both glared at him. “My face remains surprisingly bereft of dirt. Perhaps the two of you would like to retire? There is no shame in not being able to meet your own expectations, though I would caution you in the future to make yourselves aware of your limits.”

“Shut UP!” Roxas roared, and rushed towards him. Xemnas didn’t even bother parrying, instead catching Roxas’s weak swing barehanded. Pulling Roxas closer, he sighed.

“And just as suddenly as it was brought into being, the light of a new heart is snuffed out,” he said. He flung a hand towards Xion, wrapping tendrils of dark energy around her that trapped her arms to her sides before she could attack. “It is tragic, truly. The sorrow of what might have been.” Ignoring Roxas’s struggles, he raised his blade to strike.

There was a shattering sound, and from above them, a bright orange comet plunged out of the sky. A blast of Firaga hit Xemnas square in the chest, and he stumbled back in surprise, releasing Roxas. “Hey. Get the _fuck_ away from my friends,” Lea said, brandishing his Keyblade.

“Lea!” Xion shouted in surprise as his and Xemnas’s auras flared, overlapping with Roxas’s “Axel!”

He grinned. “Kept you waiting, huh? Sorry, my bad. Took me a second to get here.” He pointed back towards the way he’d come from. Even further above them was a ridge, across which a checkerboard barrier sparked and sputtered; a giant, still-smouldering hole had been burned through the side of it.

“You know, it is poor sportsmanship to break the rules,” Xemnas observed. “You were supposed to remain within your chosen path.”

“What can I say, I’m an innovator,” Lea said, breezily, then looked closer at Roxas and Xion. “You two all right? You’re not looking all that hot.”

There were puns. He was worried. “Nothing a few Curagas can’t fix,” Roxas said, Xion nodding along.

“Right,” Lea said. “You two heal yourselves up, I’ll hold him off.”

“Do you think you can beat him, Lea?” Xion asked, already casting a Curaga over Roxas’s hand.

Lea looked over at Xemnas, who was idly inspecting the tip of his glove as if it were a fingernail while wearing a smug expression, and then back to them. “Gonna be honest here… probably not. Not alone, at least. Which is why I’m gonna hold him back until you two get your second wind. _We_ can beat him, together. That, I’m sure of.” He passed both of them a pair of Ethers.

“Right,” Roxas said, and started casting his own healing spells over the both of them as Lea turned back to Xemnas.

“How adorable,” Xemnas said, mocking. “Sometimes, a family is not two differently-gendered parents and two and a half children. Sometimes, family is a failed puppet, an identity crisis, and an idle experiment gone down in flames. What hope does a broken vessel have against me, might I ask?”

“I dunno, might last more than a couple of seconds,” Lea said, not rising to the taunting. “Should probably warn you, I’m on _fire_ today.”

“Indeed. Fire burns hot, but quickly burns out on its own,” Xemnas said. It was unclear if he’d noticed the pun and chosen not to react to it, or if he’d missed it entirely. “Are you not missing someone, Lea? Where is your dear _Isa?_ ”

Lea’s eyes narrowed. “Helping with other business. Not here. Why,” he demanded. It was not a question.

“All that effort to save him, and yet he does not accompany you in your time of need,” Xemnas mused. “Are you so blind to the truth?”

“What ‘truth’?” Lea asked, a dangerous glint of flame licking in his eyes.

Xemnas smiled. “That he cares nothing for you, obviously. That he does not return your love not because he is _incapable_ of doing so, but that he simply _does not want to love you_.”

Lea stood there, in silence, and took a few deep breaths with his eyes closed. Eventually, he opened them, and looked at Xemnas. “…Really?” he asked.

“‘Really?’” Xemnas parroted, an amused smirk on his face.

“That’s really the best you’ve got?” Lea continued, matching Xemnas smirk for smirk.

Xemnas raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“No, I get what you’re doing. You’re doing that thing you always do. Disguising lies as the truth to make us doubt.” Lea shook his head. “Really, there’s only so many times you can cry wolf before the villagers let your flock get eaten. Why the flaming hell would _any_ of us listen to a single damn thing you say?”

“…Ah,” Xemnas said, accepting his loss with grace. “I had forgotten what it was like to verbally spar with someone whose default response is not the phrase ‘shut up’ with various inflections. Forgive me. Shall I try harder next time?” He smiled.

Lea rolled his shoulders. “There’s not going to be a next time, Chief. Sorry. This ends here and now.”

“When you burn yourself out?” Xemnas asked, amused.

Lea grinned. “Hey, I’m an _eternal flame_ , baby.” He hefted his Keyblade onto his shoulder. “I’m burning hotter than the sun in the middle of the summer, and you’re standing too damn close. Roxas, Xion!” he called back over his shoulder. “Sit back, and watch me _ignite!_ ”

Flames wreathed his Keyblade as he whipped it towards Xemnas. His former boss parried, knocking the Keyblade out of the way, but had to quickly duck under the following Firaga. Lea Formchanged his Keyblade, and both chakrams whirled towards Xemnas. He knocked both of them out of the air, leaving him open for Lea’s following kick. Lea caught the chakrams out of the air and changed them back into a Keyblade, raining blow after blow down on Xemnas’s defenses, causing both their auras to spark and dissipate. More blasts of Fire spells followed, though none managed to land as Xemnas dodged.

The Keyblade spun back into chakrams as Lea stalked forwards, keeping the heat on. “Regretting this yet?” he asked, conversationally.

Xemnas bared his teeth in a predatory smile. “Hardly. In fact, I am quite enjoying it.”

“If you say so,” Lea said, shrugging. “Be careful when you play with fire, is all I’ll say.” His chakrams lanced out again, but this time Xemnas was ready. His Ethereal Blade shot out, catching the chakrams through their handles.

“I am surprised at you,” he said. “Still you rely on these toys despite the power of the Keyblade at your fingertips.”

“We stick with what we know,” Lea said. “And sometimes, it’s nice to have old and new _together_.” He smiled, and the chakrams glowed, forming back into his Keyblade; Xemnas bared dodged in time as the blade formed right where his head had been.

“You call this a Keyblade?” Xemnas asked, drily. He took hold of it, and tilted it, watching the pattern on the flame move as he did so. “Are you quite sure it isn’t some sort of _joke?_ ”

“Doesn’t seem all that funny to me,” Lea said, shrugging. “But hey, gotta keep things fresh and new. Can’t just stick with the same schtick over and over again. It gets old, got it memorized?” Xemnas hissed as the Keyblade ignited, scorching his hand before whirling back to Lea’s. “Eventually, the encore’s gotta be different from the first act. You know what that is? _Growth_.”

Xemnas threw back his head and laughed. It was, quite frankly, the most terrifying thing Lea had seen all day. He felt movement behind him, and relaxed somewhat upon seeing Roxas and Xion stand at his sides, Keyblades ready. “You two okay?” he asked.

“For now,” Xion replied. “Wouldn’t say no to a long shower and a massage.”

“What you two do on your own time is your business,” Lea replied before he could stop himself.

Xion looked up at him and smirked. “Good to know! Thanks, Lea,” she said, as Roxas reddened.

“Amusing as I find this banter, I believe we had business,” Xemnas interjected. “Though I must admit, two on one is not exactly sporting.”

Roxas’s hand tightened on his Keyblade. “Two on one? There’s _three_ of us,” he spat.

Xemnas shrugged. “I had been counting you and Xion as one person. Since together, you are the equivalent of one entire Sora.”

Roxas growled, but didn’t move. Xemnas sighed. “I hope you understand you have become _boring_.”

“We’re not here for your entertainment, got it memorized?” Lea said, brandishing his Keyblade.

“If you insist,” Xemnas said, shrugging, and rushed them.

Roxas brought his Keyblade up to block the strike of an Ethereal Blade, only to goggle in astonishment as Xemnas left the blade in midair, extending a new one as the now-disembodied first one continued to press inexorably against Roxas’s guard. Xion struck, only to find a barrier had sprung up between herself and Xemnas. Lea barely managed to duck back as Xemnas’s blades thrust towards his head. “Didn’t think of him as the spiteful sort,” he muttered to himself as he slid backwards.

Xion let out a yelp as the barrier she was pushing against bent backwards and wrapped itself around her. Roxas lunged for her, but the floating blade knocked him back. Xemnas, smirking, slowly raised his arms to shoulder height, leaving an Ethereal Blade floating in midair every couple of inches. “Foolish,” he said, and the blades launched themselves towards Lea and Roxas.

The two fell down, winded. They’d tried to dodge as best they could, but at least one had struck each of them in the chest. “Really, now,” Xemnas said, shaking his head. “Did you really think that I was giving our fight ‘my all’? I regret to inform you that effort on my part was unnecessary.”

“Oh, bullshit, I almost had your head off,” Lea grunted.

“You do not wield a weapon for which ‘almost’ counts as a result, _also-ran_ ,” Xemnas sneered. “I fear there is no _participation_ award for you to take home to your family; what little you have of one. Ah, but I mistake myself.” He walked over towards Xion, still struggling in the barrier. “What little family you have left is all here. It is unfortunate that their number must be reduced yet further, yet this is _my_ mistake to rectify.” Xion looked up, helpless, as he raised his blade to strike. Roxas tried to struggle to his feet, but another barrage of blades beat him down.

There was a loud rumbling, and a brilliant point of light burst through the sky. It zigged and zagged, until finally zeroing in on their position, ramming straight into and through a previously-invisible barrier forming a roof over the area. As the remains of the barrier spell fell and shattered like panes of glass, the light touched down, forming into a tall man with blue hair and a large sword. “Get away from her,” Isa ordered, glaring at Xemnas with daggers in his eyes, “you _bitch_.”

“Ah,” Xemnas said, a light smile playing on his face (which, Lea was realizing, was the fastest he’d ever seen someone recover from a shock) “The prodigal _son_ returns.”

Isa ignored him, turning to Xion and pulling her from the barrier. “Are you all right?” he asked, softly.

Xion nodded. “Are you–?”

“We’ll talk later,” Isa said, turning back to Xemnas. Roxas and Lea struggled to their feet, and joined them. Lea dearly wanted to ask what Isa was doing here, but now was not the time.

Instead, he smirked, and said, “Been a long time since we fought together. You still remember how we dance?”

Isa smirked back at him. “I have the footwork memorized.” Behind Lea, Roxas made a gagging face, and Xion snickered.

“What a touching reunion,” Xemnas mocked. “It is always better to be surrounded by friends and family at the ending of one’s life.”

“We’re neither your friends, nor your family,” Isa said, raising an eyebrow.

Xemnas smirked. “And how I will miss that deadpan.”

A breeze blew through the clearing. There might have been the call of a bird in the distance if anything had lived in the Badlands. The silence grew deafening. The brief calm belied what was about to occur.

Xemnas moved.

His Ethereal Blades crashed against Isa’s claymore, stopping well clear of Xion. With a roar, Roxas attacked with his Keyblade, but Xemnas was already spinning away, knocking Lea’s chakrams out of the air and jumping over Xion’s low swing. Roxas changed his Keyblade into the twin swords, and pressed the attack, Xemnas parrying his slices without much effort. A flurry of movement caught his eye and he jumped over Xion’s greatsword, never missing a beat of Roxas’s attacks. A blast of Firaga flattened itself against a barrier, and another shoved Isa backwards.

Lea grabbed Isa’s arm. “Does it look like he doesn’t want to get fenced in to you?”

Isa nodded. “I see your point.” The two rushed forwards. Lea’s chakrams swirled through the air and rammed Xemnas from the side. Their former boss blocked them in time, and threw up another barrier to block Isa’s claymore from the other side. “You think I’m not aware of my own subordinates’ tactics?” he asked, mocking.

“Well, we’ve never tried _this_ one before,” Lea replied.

Before Xemnas could ask what he meant, Roxas sailed through the air; he had leapt off of Xion’s greatsword, being flung towards Xemnas at high speed. “ _Pearl!_ ” he shouted, and a bright light burst from his palm. Xemnas hissed, blinded, and was unable to block Xion as she stabbed forwards, ramming her sword into his chest.

Xemnas staggered backwards, coughing, as the four grouped back up. “How about that?” Lea asked, just as mocking. “Trying new things can be good every once in a while, huh?”

“Indeed,” Xemnas said, straightening back up with an unfamiliar look in his eye. “However, there is also something to be said for the tried and true.”

Before any of them could react, bright pillars of red light sprung up in a dome around them. “You have become _quite_ irksome,” Xemnas continued, with what they now managed to recognize as fury leaking into his tone. “Which means it is time to put you out of my _misery_.”

“Oh, _shit_ ,” Lea said, recognizing the attack. “Isa, if we’re going to die here, I want you to kn–”

“Xion!” Roxas interrupted.

“Right!” she replied, and both changed their weapons back into Keyblades, sinking into ready positions.

Lea and Isa stared at them. “Roxas, what are you two doin–” Lea started to say, but he was too late. Xemnas clenched his fist, and grinned in sadistic glee as the lights converged.

Within the dome, Lea and Isa watched in shock as Roxas and Xion moved in perfect synchronization, flipping back and forth around the centre as they deflected every single one of the beams. The lights moved faster, and faster, and in turn so did Roxas and Xion, until they were moving so fast Lea and Isa could barely see them. Isa met Lea’s eye and gave him a questioning look, but Lea was just as lost.

Eventually, the beams ran out, and Xion and Roxas slowed down, finally coming to a standstill after the last light was reflected back towards Xemnas, who took a half-step out of the way. “See... like I… said… you gotta… do triangle… _and_ X,” Roxas said, panting.

Xion nodded. “I see… what you… mean,” she agreed.

Lea stared at them. “What the flying fuck are you two on about?”

“Ah, I see my error,” Xemnas interrupted before Roxas could explain. “You were present during that fight as well, correct, Roxas?”

“Damn straight,” Roxas said, straightening up. “If Sora and Riku could beat that, then we sure as fuck could, too.”

“Then I suppose I must get my hands dirty,” Xemnas said, and the battle was joined once more. Lea ducked under a swipe of Xemnas’s blades, and stabbed with his Keyblade. The strike was blocked, as was Roxas’s follow-up. Xion’s Keyblade skittered off a barrier, but Isa managed to smash right through one, dealing Xemnas a glancing blow. Xemnas hissed, and shoved Isa backwards, sending the man to his knees. He moved to strike at Isa, but two chakrams spun out of the sky and blocked his blades. Xemnas knocked them aside, turning back to Lea; his eyes widened in shock as two additional chakrams rushed towards him. “Four?” he asked, quickly moving from surprise to amusement.

Lea shrugged as all four returned to him and two changed back into his Keyblade. “Hey, like you said, sometimes you gotta stick with the tried and true.”

Xemnas turned again, knocking Isa back to the ground before the other man’s strike could land. “Impudent, aren’t we,” he said. “I thought I had trained that out of you.” He kicked outwards, and Isa skidded back a few feet. A flash of movement caught his eye and he raised his blades to catch Roxas and Xion’s coordinated assault. “Predictable,” he sighed, and bent forwards.

Lea’s chakrams whistled through the air over his head. “Really,” Xemnas said, turning back to look over his shoulder at Lea. “You could at least _try_ to do something less–!”

He was brought up short by the feeling of a sharp, jagged piece of metal stabbing into his sternum. Isa had thrust his claymore into the ground, used the grip as a springboard, and had caught Lea’s chakrams, which had Formchanged back to a Keyblade, in midair.

Xemnas looked down at the hole in his chest, then back up to Isa’s face. Slowly, he smiled, and began to laugh. “I could not ask,” he said, “For a more fitting end. After all this time… one, final, revenge. The leash… pulls from… both directions. Very… artistically… done.” His limbs slackened, and he fell backwards, stretching out on the ground, the ghost of his final smile still etched on his face.

Isa sagged, and would’ve collapsed himself if Roxas and Xion hadn’t caught him. “Isa!” Lea shouted, rushing over to them. Isa pulled out a Hi-Potion and drank it before responding.

He coughed, and cleared his throat. “Is Xemnas..?” As they all looked at his body, Xemnas disappeared like he’d never been there.

“Sent back in time,” Xion said. “Just in time for Riku and Sora to kill him again.”

“And good fucking riddance,” Roxas said, collapsing to the ground. Xion slid down and joined him.

“Isa… Don’t get me wrong, I’m fucking stoked to see you, but what are you doing here?” Lea asked. “And how?”

Isa reached into his pocket and fished out a small object: a blue, crystalline star, with one point replaced by a green lightning bolt. “Master Yen Sid gave this to me and explained how to use it,” he said. “He called it a Star Shard.”

Roxas snapped his fingers. “That’s how the King was travelling back when all this started.”

Lea nodded. “And how Donald and Goofy got to The World That Never Was that one time. Okay, that explains how, but…” He frowned. “I thought you said you couldn’t handle being here?”  
Isa reddened, but kept his eyes on Lea’s. “I… realized that my desire to ensure the safety of those I… care about… was more powerful than my fear.”

“Did you have to put it like that? Lea’s sprung a leak,” Xion said, teasing.

Lea wiped the tears out of the corners of his eyes. “I was _not_ crying, thank you very much,” he said.

Xion gave a very unladylike snort. “Sure, Lea, whatever you say.”

“Isa?” Roxas said, quietly.

Isa looked down at him. “Yes, Roxas?”

“First of all, fuck you. Second… thank you. We probably wouldn’t have made it without you,” Roxas muttered, resolutely staring at the ground some distance away.

Slowly, Isa smiled. “I’m glad I made it in time.”

Xion beamed. “Aw, are we all friends now?”

“No,” Roxas and Isa both answered in chorus.

“I think we’re _friends_ now!” Lea joined in, matching Xion’s grin. Isa and Roxas shared a look, and rolled their eyes.

“Whatever,” Roxas muttered.

“You can believe whatever you want,” Isa said in the same tone.

Lea laughed, then winced as the ache in his muscles made itself apparent. “Ouch. I know we’re on a mission and all, but do you think it’d hurt if we took a moment to rest?”

“I second the motion,” Xion said, twisting uncomfortably.

“We kind of have to,” Roxas said.

“Why so?” Isa asked.

Roxas gestured towards the wall of the area opposite the one he and Xion had entered through. “You two weren’t supposed to be here. So there’s no tunnels for you to leave through. And… I’m not ditching you again. Any of you,” he added, in a grumpy undertone.

“Aw, _friends_ ,” Xion teased, putting a hand on both Roxas and Isa’s shoulders and shaking them back and forth, despite the grumpy looks both were wearing.

“What was it you were going to say to me, Lea?” Isa asked.

“Huh?”

“In the dome of light. You said you had something you wanted me to know?”

Lea short-circuited. “Oh. Uh. Well. That’s just the sort of thing you say, right? In that kind of situation?” Roxas was glaring at him, and Xion was smirking.

“Very well,” said Isa, leaning back on his hands. “I suppose it can wait until later, then.”

“Yeah. Uh. Sure. Later,” Lea said, hoping his face wasn’t as red as his hair. He stretched, trying to work the kinks out of his back.

“Later would be great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friends, we are gathered here today to pay our last respects to an utter bastard. To say goodbye to a horrible sociopath, to bid adieu to a giant creep.   
> Ding-dong, the Mansex is dead.  
> You can probably tell I pulled a bit from KHIII's interactions between Lea and Xemnas, even to the point of aping part of it. But here's the important part: I did it _myyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyy_. I also... might have been listening to certain RWBY songs on loop. As you might be able to tell from the references. What can I say, "I Burn" and "Ignite" are _fire_ (I'm a little sorry).   
> And of course, we have Isa's big return. I love the Sea-Salt fam. I love Isa caring about Xion. Unlike the Wayfinder fam last week, though, these four haven't had a big blowout fight with their section of the franchise's main antagonist before now. So while there's still banter, it was important to me that this be an actual fight. It was also important that Isa be the one to finish Xemnas with Lea's weapon. _Symbolism!_  
>  It's been a while since I had Roxas and Xion be aware they were in a video game, huh? This is a true anecdote; back when I first played KHII, I failed that section of the Xemnas fight because I didn't realize you were _also_ supposed to be pressing X in addition to triangle. Fortunately, Roxas was watching at the time, and was able to avoid my mistake.   
> Xemnas's last words are a nod to Grand Admiral Thrawn of Timothy Zahn's emponymous Star Wars book trilogy; another magnificent bastard that I love very much.   
> Aw, look, they're _friends_ now! There's really nothing like killing your old boss for bonding with your coworkers, huh? And I'm sure Lea will be getting around to that talk with Isa eventually. It's not like they both have a long track record of avoiding talking to one another about their feelings, right?  
> Right?  
> In other news, if I'm reading the chapter numbers right I'm about halfway through FF7R (chapter 9; Aerith and her new friend Thunderhead are about to audition for Don Corneo). I'm having a blast with it, Aerith is amazing and I'm so glad I started playing this before writing... well... you'll see two fics from now. I'm playing on Easy mode, because I have nothing whatsoever to prove, but I might try the Hard mode once I unlock it; I have an urge to try to platinum this game. (although... fighting a Marlboro for a trophy? are you _serious?_  
>  Anyways, we had the Wayfinder fam confronting their man antagonist last week, the Sea-Salt fam confronting _their_ main antagonist _this_ week, so next week it would only be natural that we go back to where it all began.   
> Let's see if Kingdom Hearts will bestow upon us the true power of Darkness, shall we? Next week, we'll see what Ansem, Seeker of Darkness thinks of all this...  
> Until then!  
>  _Goodnight, sweet Superior, and may flights of Sorcerers sing thee to thy rest_


	14. Seek And Ye Shall Find

If Riku was a bit more cautious this time exiting his tunnel, he really couldn’t be blamed for it. This time, however, he wasn’t met with an immediate attack.

Instead, a familiar face stood at the opposite side of the area. Riku’s eyes narrowed. “I should’ve known I’d be seeing you eventually. I’m honestly surprised it took this long.”

Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, smiled. “Our reunion was inevitable, I’m afraid. However, your duplicate wished to encounter you first. If I may ask, how did that encounter go?”

“He thought I had stolen Naminé from him, which wasn’t true, and he got his heart broken,” Riku said, still glaring at Ansem.

“A pity,” Ansem said. “Matters of the heart are rough to navigate. I trust you didn’t kill him? That’s not the sort of person you are, Riku.”

“He fell back into the Realm of Darkness,” Riku said, shortly. “But, I think he has a way to escape.”

Ansem raised an eyebrow. “Escape the Darkness? Riku, I believe that we both know darkness will always be with you.”

Riku’s teeth clenched. “There’s a _difference_.”

“Is there?” Ansem said. “I don’t know why you find the concept so disturbing, Riku. Is it not a comfort to know that darkness can always be relied upon? Will always be there when you need it? Like old friends, separate but drawn together by time and circumstance?”

“Or by design?” Riku challenged.

Ansem shrugged. “True, our meeting was planned. But, like you say, it was inevitable.” A small smile formed on his face. “Can you blame a teacher for wanting to check on the progress of his favourite student?”

“You are _not_ my teacher,” Riku hissed.

Ansem looked affronted. “No? Who put a sword in your hand? Who guided you along the path of Darkness? Who gave you the power you so desperately wanted, and showed you how to use it?”

“I was wrong to want the power of Darkness,” Riku said. At some point, and he wasn’t quite sure when, his Keyblade had fallen into his hand.

Ansem stepped forwards. “Be that as it may, you walked by my side for a time. Though you have forged your own path, you mustn’t forget your roots.” His smile widened. “The roots of Darkness.”

“I’m not defined – not _limited_ by the mistakes I made in the past,” Riku said.

“True,” Ansem conceded. “And your growth has been remarkable. But, Darkness will always have its foothold in you.”

“I’ve found a way to live with that,” Riku said.

Ansem smiled. “To live, and to thrive. A Keyblade Master now, Riku? Quite the accomplishment.”

“No thanks to you,” Riku replied.

Slowly, Ansem shrugged. “In every life, there are those who lift us up, and those whom we must overcome.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and his Guardian Heartless erupted into being behind him. “Show me how far you have progressed along your new path.” Both of their auras flared.

A series of energy discs flew from Ansem and shot towards Riku. Almost instinctively, Riku parried them with his Keyblade, sending them back towards Ansem. He tried to ignore the way the human-shaped Heartless was laughing. Riku shot a blast of Thundaga towards Ansem, who stepped back behind his Guardian, avoiding damage. “Useless,” Ansem commented.

“If you say so,” Riku replied. Ansem smirked, and rushed towards him, cloaked in Darkness. This time, instead of dodging as he would normally do, Riku stood his ground.

Just before Ansem reached him, Riku cast Magnet.

Ansem was yanked to a halt, right before reaching distance of Riku. “Impressive,” he commented. “But paltry tricks are not enough.” The Guardian surged forwards, raising a Darkness-cloaked fist above its head to strike. With a roar, it brought its hand down –

And through a mirage as Riku activated the Ghost Drive Command Style. “Nice try,” he said, stepping away, “but I’ve picked up a few new tricks from some new friends.”

Ansem laughed in delight. “Inspiring! You truly _have_ become stronger, Riku! Show me _more!_ ”

They danced, and whirled, Riku dodging Ansem’s strikes just as much as he blocked. Although intellectually he knew that this version of Ansem, and of his Guardian, were time-displaced, and therefore nothing he did here would hurt Terra (he assumed), Riku couldn’t help a slight reticence behind every attack he made towards the Guardian.

Ansem noticed. “I thought you no longer feared the Darkness, Riku. Or is it something else?” He glanced towards the Guardian. “Ah, I understand. You do not wish to damage your friend Terra’s heart.” A dark smile grew on his face. “Rest assured, no more harm shall come to him than has already befallen him. I protect what is _mine_.”

“He’s not _yours!_ ” Riku growled, slashing angrily towards Ansem.

“Oh, but he _is_ ,” Ansem said, smiling. The Guardian caught Riku’s Keyblade and held it above both their heads. Riku strained, trying to recover his blade. “Just as _you_ are. Have I not protected you in the past? Saved your life, even? I was there whenever you needed me, Riku. In Castle Oblivion. In The World That Never Was. Even in your dreams.”

“I don’t _need you!_ ” Riku hissed, struggling in vain against the Guardian’s grip.

“Yes, you do,” Ansem said, stepping close enough to run the back of his fingers down Riku’s cheek. “And I will always be there to protect what’s _mine_.”

There was a clicking sound, which was the only warning they got before a barrage of light slammed into Ansem, knocking him and his Guardian back and freeing Riku. “He is _not_ yours, got it? He’s _mine!_ ”

Kairi stepped out of another tunnel in the rock wall, fury in her eyes as her Shotlock faded.

“Ah, our dear Princess of Heart,” Ansem said, regaining his footing. “How kind of you to join us. I will admit, your claim on Riku’s heart is much stronger than my own.”

Riku stepped over to Kairi, who had a dark look on her face and her Keyblade pointed at Ansem. “Thanks, Kairi,” he said, then blinked, seeing the way her hand was shaking. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she muttered, still glaring at Ansem, “but now’s not the time to–”

“She is likely distraught over the death of her first opponent,” Ansem interrupted. “Fret not, Princess of Heart. He was pulled out of time to be here; he would have died regardless. In fact, over the normal course of events, he was struck down in the exact same manner. So, in the grand scheme of things, your _murder_ of him changes nothing of note.” He smiled.

There was a haunted look in Kairi’s eyes, and Riku didn’t like it. “Kairi,” he urged, “it’s okay. It’s not your–”

“Yes, it is, Riku,” she said, turning to him. There was a deep sadness in her eyes. “But I’m handling it.”

“If you insist so,” Ansem offered. Kairi and Riku both turned to glare at him.

“You’re right,” Kairi said. “It’s bothering me. Killing Heartless, killing Nobodies, I’m okay with. But another person? That bothers me. That bothers me a lot.”

“You are only human, after all,” Ansem agreed, still smiling.

“Yes… but _you’re_ not,” Kairi said. Her eyes narrowed, and her hand stopped shaking. “And you have a lot to answer for.”

“Do I?” Ansem asked, amused.

“Oh yes,” Kairi said. “Let’s start with the Fall of Radiant Garden, and my grandmother dying as a result. Then let’s move on to corrupting one of the boys I love, and, oh, also, stealing my Islands’ heart. And let’s not forget trying to kill the other boy I love, turning my friends’ hearts into a _sword_ , and _stealing my boyfriend’s body_.”

“I prefer the idea that I showed him the true power of Darkness,” Ansem remarked.

“Neither of us care what you ‘prefer’,” Riku said, stepping forwards to join Kairi.

“Look at you both,” Ansem said. “Darkness and Light working together. It is awe-inspir–”

He was cut off by Kairi’s Keyblade, hurled towards him. Caught off-guard, Ansem reeled from the blow to his stomach, then gasped in shock as Destiny’s Embrace spun, catching him on the chin with repeated blows. In a flash, Kairi joined her weapon, continuing to land blow after blow.

Ansem stepped back, a mix of fury and delight in his eyes. “So is this the power of light, then?” he mused. “Show me!”

Riku lunged towards him, joining in, but Ansem managed to summon his Guardian in time to block the blow. “It won’t hurt Terra!” Kairi directed. “He’ll snap back to his own time if we beat him.”

“If you add another murder to the list,” Ansem mocked.

“I think that’s enough out of you,” Riku said, slipping around the Guardian and launching a Dark Firaga at Ansem.

Several spheres of yellow and maroon launched out of Ansem, circling around his head before moving towards Kairi. She backflipped out of the way as lasers shot down out of them, before rushing back up to strike at Ansem.

Ansem dodged backwards out of the way of her strikes, an amused smile still gracing his features. Kairi continued her assault, but Riku noticed the shadow on the floor tracking her every move. “Kairi!” he called, and attempted to lunge for her, to push her out of the way, but the Guardian grabbed him by the ankle and held him fast.

Cruel claws of darkness leapt out of the ground around Kairi, who shrieked as they stabbed into her. She slid back, coughing, and cast Curaga. “If this is the feeble extent of your light, Princess of Heart, then perhaps your beloved is wrong about its strength,” Ansem mocked.

Kairi stepped back, wiping a trail of blood from her lips. “Okay,” she said, rolling her shoulders. “Now, I’m _mad_.”

A golden glow grew gradually over her body, spreading from her heart to cover her form. As Riku watched in astonishment, her entire form shone with bright golden light, save for two small circles of pink in place of her eyes, and she slowly rose into the air. The golden girl seemed to smile, somehow, without a mouth, then shot towards Ansem and the Guardian.

Ansem brought up the Guardian in time to shield himself from Kairi’s first blow, but she vanished before their eyes, reappearing to his side. He moved the Guardian around again just in time, but Kairi was already gone, appearing behind him and landing a harsh blow to his back. Ansem growled, and launched the Guardian towards her. It seized her before she could vanish, trapping her between its hands.

This was a mistake.

Kairi’s light grew brighter, and Riku got the odd impression of a smirk. The light grew intense, blinding Riku and Ansem both.

When the light faded, Kairi was back to normal… and the Guardian was gone. “You’re next,” she said, lowering herself back to the ground.

Ansem, for the first time Riku could remember, looked shocked. “This is the power of a Princess of Heart. A heart of pure light,” he mused, then shook his head. “If I were in your position, Princess, I would be cautious. Light is not like Darkness. Your powers are indeed vast, but although the light will never truly leave you, you will exhaust yourself if you overextend. And it will take time for your Light to shine forth once more.”

Kairi scoffed. “Says you. Trust me, I can go _all night_. Right, Riku?” She turned and winked at him.

“Really not the best time, Kai,” Riku said, and she shrugged.

“Very well,” Ansem said. “But understand this. The loss of poor Terra does not hamper me in any way.” A dark cloud swirled around his hand, and a familiar-to-Riku bat-wing blade grew to form – and kept growing, becoming a double-sided polearm.

“Bring it,” Kairi said. “Sora beat you. Riku beat you. Why exactly do you expect this to go any other way?”

Ansem merely smiled, and lunged towards her. Kairi and Riku both caught his polearm on their Keyblades. All three’s auras flared, and Ansem’s went out. Leaving Riku to hold the blade lock, Kairi ducked low, sweeping her Keyblade at Ansem’s legs, but the Heartless brought his legs up, floating in the air for a split second as her Keyblade flew by harmlessly below.

Riku stepped back, bringing up his Keyblade and launching a blast of Dark Firaga that mingled and mixed with Kairi’s Triple Firaga. Ansem reeled back, but forced his way through the flames, sending out rivers of Darkness across the ground. Kairi and Riku leapt back out of the way as more claws erupted from them. “The strength of two hearts that beat as one, I presume?” Ansem asked, mocking. “However… are there not supposed to be _three_ of you? Where is poor Sora? All alone?”

“No, he’s not,” Riku said. “We’re with him. Our hearts are connected.”

“And he’s with us,” Kairi agreed.

Sora paused in the middle of his tunnel. For a second there, it had felt like Riku and Kairi were standing beside him.

He placed a hand over his heart, and smiled. “Right there with you, guys.”

Another blast of magic sent Ansem reeling. He recovered in time to see Riku and Kairi in the air before him, Riku with his left arm raised over his head, Kairi with both of hers.

Beside them, a faint image of Sora raising his right arm flickered.

Behind Riku and Sora, two massive blades like panes of stained glass rose, one blue, one gold. Between them, a third blade rose behind Kairi, a pale rose.

Riku and Kairi brought their hands down, the image of Sora doing the same, and Ansem was wracked by a massive blow forehand, then backhand, then one final smash that grounded him, his polearm dissipating.

Kairi and Riku lowered to the ground, the giant Keyblade and the image of Sora fading from view. Ansem, defeated, looked up as Kairi pointed her Keyblade at him. “And so our conflict draws to a close,” he said, resigned. “Do not hesitate, Princess. It is the way of war. Light destroys Darkness.”

Kairi’s face was already set in a frown, and it deepened. “…No,” she said, slowly.

Ansem raised an eyebrow, confused. “No?”

“Killing you isn’t going to fix what you did. It’s not going to make me feel better. And you’re already dying,” she said. It was true – Ansem was slowly starting to fade. “You’re just trying to get under my skin.”

Ansem smiled. “You are, of course, correct,” he said. “But what of the next fight, Princess of Heart? Will you be able to do what must be done?”

Kairi slowly shook her head. “I refuse to believe that there isn’t another way.”

Riku stepped forwards. “Our other opponents are humans, not Heartless. There’s always a way to reason with them. And… I have to admit, on some level, I wish we could have done the same with you.”

Slowly, Ansem laughed. “I was wrong, before. _This_ is the true power of light. Your strength… is vaster than Darkness.” He slowly rose to his feet. “I knew I never stood a chance.”

“Then why fight? Why be here at all?” Riku asked.

“Because of you, Riku,” Ansem said.

“What does that mean?” Kairi asked.

“Any teacher merely wishes to see their student succeed,” Ansem replied. “It may dismay you to hear, Riku, but I wished you to know that I am truly proud of the way you have surpassed me.”

“The only thing I ever learned from you was what _not_ to do,” Riku replied, coldly. “Every step I’ve taken, every way I’ve grown, has been in _spite_ of you, not because of you.”

“That is understandable,” Ansem said, slowly nodding. “I am proud of you nevertheless, even if I have no right to it.” Slowly, he smiled. “Go forth, young Keyblade Master. There is still yet more to seek. Well done, well you have fought the better fight.” With that, Ansem faded from view.

Riku slowly sat down on the ground. A light aura of a Cure spell wafted over him, and he looked up as Kairi joined him. “It’s weird,” he said, quietly, “but in a sense, I’m… going to miss him.”

“He’s been a part of your life for a long time,” Kairi said, “even if a negative part. You’re still going from ‘something’ to ‘nothing’, even if it’s a shadow over your life being lifted.” She shivered a little.

“Do you want to talk about the other fight?” Riku asked, softly.

Kairi leaned against him. “The guy had Aqua and me trapped in an electric field. I threw my shield at him, missed. He stepped into a perfect shot, so I pulled my shield back… right through his neck.” A few tears rolled down her cheeks.

Riku hugged her tight. “It doesn’t sound like there was anything else you could’ve done,” he said.

“There wasn’t,” Kairi agreed, sniffing. “I still don’t like it.”

“I know,” Riku said. “Would you like to sit here for a bit?”

Kairi shook her head. “Yes, but we don’t have time for that.”

“Thirty seconds,” Riku proposed.

Kairi pursed her lips, then nodded. “Okay.”

Riku hugged her tighter, and she sighed. “I hope Sora’s okay.”

“I’m sure he is,” Riku said. “He can handle whatever gets thrown at him.”

Sora stepped through into another open area, also featuring a figure in a black coat standing down at the other end. This one was particularly tall. “Um, hello?” he tried. “Is there any way we can talk through things instead of fighting? Whatever Xehanort promised you, I don’t think he really intends to deliver.”

The figure tilted its head, and a long sword fell into its left hand. “Yeah, okay, didn’t think so, but it was worth a shot,” Sora muttered to himself, summoning his Keyblade. A quick look back at the wall behind him confirmed that he wouldn’t be on his own for long.

The figure seemed somewhat surprised to see the Kingdom Key. Slowly, with its free hand, it pulled back its hood.

Sora’s Keyblade fell to the ground with a clatter. “No…” he said, in growing panic, “No, no, you can’t _be_ here! You’re _dead!_ ”

A cascade of long silver hair descended down the man’s back. Cruel lips sat under a pointed nose. One of his eyes was the gold of Xehanort’s Darkness, but the other…

The other was a pale blue that sharpened into a neon green around the cat-slit pupil.

The man’s lips twitched into a terrifyingly warm smile, indicating his words were entirely, horribly, genuine:

“Good to see you… [_Sora_.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_MW65XxS7s)”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You: All right, Sannae, which RWBY songs _this_ time?  
> Me: I don't know _what_ you're talking about.  
> You:  
> Me:  
> Me: "Nevermore" overall and "Gold" specifically for when Kairi goes Super Saiyan Princess of Heart.
> 
> Would you believe that I plotted for the Wayfinders+Vanitas to fight Terranort, the Sea-salt trio+Isa to fight Xemnas, and Riku and Kairi to fight Ansem each one after the other _without noticing_ that I'd matched them up against their main villains... except for Sora. Because I wanted this chapter's ending. But more on that next week. ;)  
> I am sorry to perpetuate the "the Destiny Trio has never fought all together as a group" problem, but again, more on that next week.  
> Let's talk about this week, though. Re:Mind dropped while I was writing this chapter, so _that's_ a thing. Ansem's melancholy in KHIII struck me; he's performing his role, but he's just going through the motions, even more so that Young Xehanort. I tweaked that a bit; here, Ansem's main motivation actually is checking up on his favourite (only) student. That's the contrast between Ansem and Xemnas. Xemnas will lie to your face. Ansem will tell the truth, just in the way that hurts most. So everything he expresses here? Genuine. And therefore (hopefully), creepy. ;)  
> Kairi's Light Form was inspired by [this](https://twitter.com/iodraws/status/1201332989193576450?s=20) art by [@iodraws](https://twitter.com/iodraws). Poor Riku. Her attack pattern was inspired by my impressions of her fighting style in Re:Mind; note that I didn't bother to actually _check_ what it looked like, and just went with what it looked like to me.  
> The bit with Sora was added in right before I broke ground on the chapter, because by that point I _had_ noticed the pattern. And I was able to add in the Mirage Split/Nightmare's End attack featuring Kairi, so that Sora _was_ still there with them. Sort of.  
> I have no real complaints about Ansem's ending in KHIII, as you might be able to tell from how much I used from it. (My outline literally says "[steal the speech from their interaction in KH3 because it was honestly real good]") His final words are a quotation from _Paradise Lost_ , because I'm _that_ kind of asshole and that's how I roll.  
> I think that's about everything of note. Next week... I have a favour to ask of you.  
>  _Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away._


	15. A Spiteful Angel's Litany

“What are you even _doing_ here?!” Sora asked again, aghast. “I thought you were dead!”

Sephiroth shook his head. “Sora, please recall the circumstances here. I did die. But that is not enough to prevent me from returning. As long as there is darkness in Cloud’s heart, I will always return.”

“Seriously? What’s your obsession with Cloud?” Sora demanded.

Sephiroth smiled. “I am the darkness that his heart calls for. He will never let go.”

“There’s more to Cloud’s heart than darkness!” Sora insisted. He shook himself. “You’re dodging the question. Why are you helping Xehanort?” He hoped desperately that Sephiroth couldn’t see how much he was shaking, but on some level he knew the man – if that term was applicable – was perfectly aware of it.

“Helping Xehanort?” Sephiroth repeated, a bemused expression on his face. “Why, Sora, he is responsible for my renewal. He has given me all I ever wanted: the opportunity to murder everyone Cloud Strife cares about.”

A chill ran up Sora’s spine. “But, that’s–” he started, but Sephiroth wasn’t listening.

“And in return?” he continued, dreamlike. “He asked merely that I start with _you_.”

Before Sora could blink, Sephiroth moved, his long blade curving towards Sora’s stomach. He barely managed to bring his Keyblade up in time to block, and the blow forced him to his knees.

He’d had nightmares about this.

The reality was even worse.

Sephiroth vanished before his eyes, and this time he didn’t manage to get his Keyblade up in time before the blow landed. Sephiroth’s sword left a blinding slice of pain down Sora’s back, and he screamed. “What’s the matter, Sora?” Sephiroth asked, the concern in his voice genuine. “I thought you enjoyed our dances. Why else would you keep coming back for more?”

Breathing hard, barely able to catch his breath, Sora cast Cure, sealing the wound, although he could still feel his clothes weighed down by the blood. He shot a blast of Thundaga towards Sephiroth, who merely shrugged it off.

“Are you not even intending to put up a fight this time?” Sephiroth asked, entirely too gently. “That is your prerogative. I do hate to see someone with so much promise cut down so simply, however. You are better than this, Sora.”

Sora backed up to the wall, still in a near-blind panic. He fired more and more magic, but his hands were shaking so badly, half of the spells missed. The other half struck Sephiroth, but did no more than make him pause a half-step in his approach.

“What? Are you afraid of me?” he asked, not taunting, just curious. “It hardly fits a hero of the Keyblade to show such terror.” He sighed. “I suppose after all you’ve been through, it would be cruel of me to draw this out. Rest, now, Sora. You’ve earned it.” Slowly, he raised his massive sword. Sora slid to the ground, his eyes locked on the shining blade as it plunged downwards.

With a shout of defiance, Riku parried Sephiroth’s strike. Behind him, Kairi cast a Curaga over Sora, pulling him back to his feet. They had entered the area in the nick of time. “Come on, Sora,” Riku said, “you’re not done yet.”

“He’s right, come on,” Kairi said. “Step back, let us handle this.”

“Kairi – Riku – but…” Sora gasped, incredulous. Kairi pulled him back away from Riku and Sephiroth. “No, Riku!”

Riku turned back, giving Sora a smile. “Hey, didn’t I say? I’ll always chase your nightmares away.” He turned back to Sephiroth, who had taken the intrusion in stride.

“You are… his paramours, yes?” he asked. “The Princess of Heart, and the young Keyblade Master steeped in darkness?”

“That’s us,” Kairi said. “And you’re Sephiroth.”

“I see my reputation proceeds me,” Sephiroth replied.

“Sora has… mentioned you,” Riku said, brandishing his Keyblade.

Sephiroth nodded. “He is remarkably resilient.” There was a moment of silence. “Oh, were you intending to fight me?” he asked.

Riku blinked. “I… don’t know how else you could interpret what I’m doing here,” he said slowly.

“I merely wanted to be certain,” Sephiroth said, and moved. Riku’s Keyblade moved almost without his conscious effort, parrying Sephiroth’s sword once more. Even a glancing blow caused him to grunt with effort – he could tell that full-on blocking was a bad idea. “Understand, please, this is nothing personal. I merely have to make my way through you if I wish to reach Cloud.”

“While it’s nice to know you have no personal stake in this,” Riku said, “The rest of us kind of _do_.”

“I see,” Sephiroth said, stepping back a bit. “Then, shall I show you true despair?” Before Riku could react, he moved. Something deep within Riku whipped his Keyblade up, parrying one strike, two, three. By the time his brain caught up with his hands, he was parrying the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh strikes. He watched Sephiroth’s blade descend an eighth and final time, and realized he couldn’t parry it fast enough. He braced himself for the hit –

And Sephiroth’s sword clanged off of Kairi’s shield. “Need some help?” she asked, grinning.

“If you’d be so kind,” Riku replied, also grinning, but shaken under the surface. Any one of those strikes could’ve taken a limb off. They would have to be very careful about this. Riku’s, Kairi’s, and Sephiroth’s auras all flared. “Sora, you okay?”

Sora was shaking his head. “No, no, guys, we have to run, you can’t – we can’t – _I_ can’t…”

“Sora, it’s going to be okay,” Kairi said, firmly. “Trust us.” She beamed at him, and turned back to Sephiroth, who was watching them curiously.

“Very well,” he said. “Then meet your fate.” Kairi barely brought her shield up in time to defend both herself and Riku from a large swipe. Sephiroth’s sword clanged where it struck, and Kairi was starting to realize why Riku looked so concerned, and why Sora was so afraid. This wouldn’t be easy; also, her arm was starting to hurt.

“Together?” Riku asked, Formchanging his Keyblade into its pata form.

“Together,” Kairi agreed, and as one, they rushed forwards.

The immediate problem was Sephiroth’s reach. Neither of them was certain how he was able to wield such a massive weapon, but its size was also its disadvantage. Despite the size, however, his handling was superb. Kairi and Riku were both glad they had protection, though each was certain they’d be sore the next day.

There was a loud scraping sound as Sephiroth’s blade ran its length down Kairi’s shield. Kairi gritted her teeth, but held firm, allowing Riku to slide in under Sephiroth’s guard and land some blows against the other man – assuming Sephiroth was a man, and not some kind of monster. It was anyone’s guess at this point.

Sephiroth whipped his sword away from Kairi’s shield and towards Riku. Riku’s eyes narrowed, and he brought up his pata with perfect timing, catching the point of the massive blade between his wrist blades, and wrenching. Sephiroth, not expecting this tactic, had the sword levered out of his hand. There was an audible snap from Riku’s wrist, and he hissed in pain, but transferred his Keyblade to his other hand.

“Now!” Riku said, and both he and Kairi pointed their Keyblades directly at the stunned Sephiroth’s chest. A blast of darkness and of light issued from each of their respective weapons, catching Sephiroth full on.

Both lowered their Keyblades, breathing hard. “For the love of light, Riku, stop breaking your wrist,” Kairi said, rolling her eyes as she cast a Curaga over it, healing it back to normal.

Riku hissed in pain again as it set, but shrugged. “It was worth it. Thank you, Kairi.”

“Humph,” Kairi said. “See, Sora?” she continued, turning back to look at him. “I told you we’d–”

Sora was staring in horror at something behind her. She turned back. “Oh, you’ve got to be _shitting_ me.”

Sephiroth stood there, unflinching, having taken the blast of darkness and light without as much as a hair out of place.

He had not, however, come through completely unscathed.

A thin line had opened on his temple, and through it oozed a trickle of blood – if blood were pitch black. Sephiroth reached up and touched the wound, regarding the blood on his fingertips in clear surprise.

“I see,” he said. “Perhaps I was wrong about you. You… have the potential to become… an _obstacle_.”

His sword leapt back to his hand, but rather than continue his assault, he slowly rose into the air. He stretched his arm out, and to his free palm from out of his sleeve rolled what looked like a small, polished black marble.

Riku and Kairi could feel the panic coming off of Sora in waves. “Sora? What’s going on?” Riku asked.

Sora’s head was shaking back and forth. “No, no, no, we have to _run_ , we have to run _now_ , we have to get out of the way!”

“Get out of the way?” Kairi repeated. “Of what?”

Sephiroth slowly, reverently, raised the marble skywards. He spoke, but to the three, it was almost inaudible; Kairi thought that perhaps she heard the word “Mother”.

There was a loud rumbling. “Too late,” Sora said, glumly.

From far above in the sky, Meteor began to rain down.

“Well _shit_. You gonna claim this was all part of the plan?” Xigbar asked, looking to his boss. He’d retreated back to the overlook, and was entirely unsurprised that only the older and younger versions of Xehanort were still present.

For once, there was no self-satisfied smile on Master Xehanort’s face. “No, Braig, no I am not,” he said, grim.

“It’s Xigbar,” Xigbar corrected. “So… what exactly are we going to do about it?”

Naminé ran through her tunnel, wishing she’d done more cardio training. It had been an oddly long time since she’d entered. She wouldn’t have been surprised if the tunnels were being manipulated to result in certain matchups; it would explain why she and Riku had been the only ones to encounter the Replica.

She sighed to herself. That would take a long time to feel okay, even if he did manage to make it back. She shook herself and nodded. He _would_ make it back. It was a certainty.

Naminé was slightly more surprised by the giant rock that sheared through the roof of her tunnel, missing her by inches.

“What the heck?” she gasped. There was now a giant gaping hole when there’d once been more tunnel. Cautiously, she stuck her head out of the opening.

The Keyblade Graveyard was currently playing host to an asteroid storm.

As she watched, more meteors impacted the labyrinth, decimating the construction. A shadow fell over her, and she had just enough time to notice the second meteor bearing down on her before jumping out of the way with a yelp.

There was nowhere to run. Although her tunnel had broken open to a larger space, the rain of meteors fell thick and fast. Naminé could potentially freeze them, with Blizzard or with Stop, but there would be no point; any she halted would simply be replaced by others. The only thing she could do was try to avoid them.

And she could only do that for so long.

Another meteor slammed down in front of her, halting her progress. She gasped, and tried to get around it, but the next one came too fast.

Naminé screamed in pain as her leg was pinned to the ground. She couldn’t feel her toes; it was likely broken. A shadow fell over her once more: another meteor.

She wouldn’t be dodging this one.

Unbidden, her mind dredged up the memory of a spiky-haired boy promising to protect her from shooting stars. She almost laughed. That wasn’t even real, it was one of the fake memories she had inserted herself in. It hadn’t even been Sora saying it; it was something a young _Riku_ had said to _Sora_. She’d given that memory to both Sora and the Riku Replica, editing herself in in place of Sora, then Sora in in place of Riku. It wasn’t real.

Which is why it was such a shock when a boy with spiky hair thrust himself in between Naminé and the falling meteor, swinging his Keyblade furiously and shattering the offending stone right before it could crush her.

But it wasn’t Sora.

It wasn’t even Riku.

“Are you just going to fucking sit there?” Vanitas demanded, turning to her. “Get the fuck up!”

Naminé blinked, then started to laugh. “Why the fuck are you–?”

“I’ll explain later,” Naminé choked out, cutting Vanitas off. “I, uh, my leg’s stuck.”

“I can help with that.” They both turned to see Terra shatter the rock pinning Naminé to the ground. Aqua took one look at her leg and cast Curaga, healing the break, and Ven pulled Naminé to her feet.

“Thank you, all of you. But, what are you doing here?” Naminé asked.

“We were starting off in our tunnels when the meteors started falling,” Aqua explained, “so we stuck together when they were broken open.”

“Have you seen anyone else?” Ven asked.

Naminé shook her head. “No, I just got out myself.” The meteor storm continued, but Terra had set up a barrier that was taking the worst of it. “What happened to your helmets?” All four were missing them.

“They actually restrict vision in some unfortunate ways,” Aqua explained. “Specifically, straight up.” She looked over at Vanitas and smirked. “And some of us keep getting them damaged.”

“Fuck off, _mom_ ,” Vanitas mumbled.

“Speaking of which, little help,” Terra grunted. Aqua nodded, and raised her Keyblade. A barrier of hexagonal cells sprang up, reinforcing Terra’s checkerboard.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to get to anyone else like this,” Ven said, doubtfully.

Naminé felt something pulse in her pocket.

“You can’t walk with those up, huh?” Vanitas asked Terra and Aqua, who shook their heads. “Shit.”

Naminé reached into her pocket and pulled out a large, rough gemstone vaguely shaped like a round-cut diamond. It glowed with an orange inner fire, and was pulsing in her hand.

Her eyes widened as she remembered what it was.

“Guys…” she said, pulling off her helmet, and everyone looked at her. “I think… I might be able to do something about this.”

“Do what?” Ven asked, curious.

Naminé summoned her Keyblade, hefted the stone, threw it into the air, and swung her Keyblade like a bat, shattering it.

Unbidden, words forced their way out of her mouth; a chant, a prayer.

A connection.

“ _By grace of Etro, arise great and mighty giant! Come forth, thee who shoulders the sky! A name in blood, a pact of strength!_ ” As she spoke, the words etched themselves into the ground around her in a circle, written in orange light. “ _Hecatoncheir shall rise, his bond eternal and unyielding! Hands that purge impurity! Arms that harbour strength!_ ”

A large sigil flared out on the ground beneath her, and from dozens of points on it erupted long, thin arms. Slowly, Naminé rose into the air, and beneath her rose from the ground a large being. Humanoid, but gigantic, a dark teal with red accents, but what drew the eye the most was the ridiculous number of arms: two pairs crossed over its chest, eight on its back, and eight pairs extending from each of its shoulders.

Aqua, Terra, Ven, and Vanitas all stared in shock as Naminé lowered back to the ground. She looked at the giant uncertainly. It looked back at her, and gave her a small nod. Naminé smiled. “Okay. Come on, Hecaton!”

Hecatoncheir’s shoulder-based arms spun in a manner that would have been physically impossible had it been made of flesh and blood, and solidified, pointing straight out. Parts of its body flipped, spun, and rotated over itself, bending the Eidolon over. It came to rest in a position not unlike that of a raptor, the arms now pointing forwards like cannons –for indeed, that was what they’d become.

Naminé ran forwards, and hopped up the side of the Eidolon, sitting in a naturally saddle-shaped grove on what had been its torso when it was humanoid. She raised her finger to the sky outside the barrier, still filled with falling meteors. “Covering fire!” she ordered, and Hecatoncheir’s guns opened fire, shredding the meteors into much smaller pieces as they fell.

“Holy fucking shit,” Vanitas commented.

“Well, that should certainly help,” Aqua said. There was a strain in her voice from the effort of the barrier, but it was easier to hold off the smaller stones. “I just hope everyone else is all right.”

“Okay, what the hec- hec- _hell_ is going on?” Roxas asked, with a slight glare at Sora. He, along with Isa, Lea, and Xion, had been able to move on from the arena where they’d fought Xemnas when Meteor had begun falling.

“Do you remember Sephiroth?” Kairi asked, gesturing to the figure floating before them. A single black wing had burst its way free of Sephiroth’s Organization coat. “That’s what the hell.”

Roxas froze in the exact same way Sora had. “Oh, shit,” he mumbled.

Lea looked at them, confused. “So… strong guy?”

“Nearly killed us,” Roxas confirmed. “Not fun. Not a good time. Don’t recommend. He’s _here? Why?_ ” The last statement was directed at Kairi, Riku, and Sora.

Riku shook his head. “Something about Cloud from Radiant Garden… he’s not really been very clear.” They were huddled against the side of their former, now-demolished, arena, where Roxas’s group had joined them. For now, it was keeping them safe against the Meteor storm.

“Yeah, that figures,” Roxas muttered.

Kairi suddenly realized what was off about this picture. “Oh, hi, Isa, good to see you! How’d you get here?”

“Master Yen Sid said that the missing worlds had started reappearing. We were no longer needed in Traverse Town and… I wanted to help my friends,” Isa explained. If there was a slight tinge of embarrassment on his cheeks, no one mentioned it. “He gave me something he called a Star Shard… he said he had other business that needed attending to as well.”

“Well, glad to have you,” Riku said. “Shame about the weather.”

“What do we do now?” Xion asked. Sora was still silent, looking at Sephiroth in horror.

Kairi bit her lip. “I have an idea of how to stop this… but I need your help,” she said, indicating Roxas and Xion.

Roxas blinked. “Our help? Why?”

Kairi took a deep breath. “Because,” she said, “I think we can stop whatever it is he’s doing with light magic.”

“Are you sure?” Xion asked.

“Not really,” Kairi said. “I’m more hoping for more Princess of Heart bullshit. It’s worked before.”

“Thank you for the inspiring words of confidence,” Roxas deadpanned, and Kairi rolled her eyes.

“Look, it’s this or hope we don’t end up as pancakes before he runs out of rocks,” she said.

“Hey, I wasn’t disagreeing,” Roxas said. “What do we do?”

Kairi beamed. “I want you two to direct the spell. I’ll pump power into it. With any luck, we should be able to eradicate the asteroids.”

“What do _we_ do?” Lea asked. “Light magic’s not exactly any of our fortes.”

“Just keep us safe while we set this up,” Kairi said.

“What spell are we using, Kairi?” Xion asked.

Kairi beamed. “Isn’t it obvious?

“We’re using Holy.”

This wasn’t good.

Almost as if in response to Naminé and Hecatoncheir’s assault, the Meteor storm had intensified. While Naminé was still making progress, she wouldn’t be able to eliminate all the meteors. The best she could hope for was to keep her small group safe; and even then, that was heavily dependent on Aqua and Terra being able to maintain their barriers.

That was becoming less and less likely by the second.

While it wasn’t the crushing force of the huge rocks, the small gravel she was reducing them to was still impacting the shields. Each hit was another potential break. And Terra and Aqua were flagging.

“Are you sure you can keep this up? Maybe you should try to find cover,” Naminé called. Some of the labyrinth’s walls were still standing, made of sterner stuff than the tunnels. It wouldn’t be much cover, but it would be cover.

Aqua and Terra both shook their heads. “Not… leaving… you out here… alone,” Aqua grunted.

“We can… go… as long as… we need to,” Terra agreed. Ven and Vanitas watched, helpless, neither having the skill enough with barrier spells to assist.

Naminé bit her lip, still concerned. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a point of light zipping through the falling rocks. Her eyes widened. It was growing closer.

Ven had spotted it, too. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing.

Aqua’s eyes widened. “With… any luck…” she ground out, “…help. Terra, we need… to make… a hole.”

“Got it,” Terra said. “I hope… whoever this is… is good at… threading needles.” A tiny aperture opened in their shields, and the point of light sailed down through them, impacting the ground in the middle of the group, throwing up a cloud of dust.

Even before the dust faded, a third barrier was thrown up to bolster Aqua and Terra’s, made of interlocking octagons.

Out of the dust strode an impossibly tall man, holding his hands up as he cast the spell. Not a single hair in his grey beard was out of place, and the stars and moons on his pointed hat were ever so slightly glowing.

“Master Yen Sid!” Ven exclaimed, beaming.

“My apologies for my late arrival,” the retired master replied, matching Ven’s smile with a smirk of his own. “With Ansem’s defeat, the hearts of worlds he stole have returned, as have their displaced residents. I sent Isa on ahead; although I hope you would not turn down the further assistance I have brought?”

“Glad to have you with us, Master,” Terra said, some of the strain taken off of both himself and Aqua with the new barrier in place.

“I am prepared to offer whatever I can, however little that may be, as are those I brought with me,” Yen Sid demurred. “Miss Naminé, pray continue,” he called. Naminé nodded, invigorated, and set back to work.

“Who did you bring with you?” Vanitas asked, curious.

Yen Sid merely smiled.

Of all the things that had happened over the course of their very long lives, Goofy reflected, this wasn’t even one of the strangest. Still, an asteroid storm on the surface of a planet was new.

Between Mickey’s Stop spells, Oswald’s paint thinner, Donald’s destructive magic, and his own shield, they were not in a horrible position, but Goofy couldn’t help but worry for the children under their care. (Not that some of them weren’t adults already, but they still counted).

Next to him, Donald huffed. “This is getting us nowhere!” he complained.

“Hey, it can’t last forever, Don!” Goofy pointed out.

“But what about everyone else?” Donald protested.

“I know ya wanna help them,” Mickey said. “But we’re kind of trapped in here.” They had wound up in a cul-de-sac in the labyrinth walls, hemmed in by the falling rocks that slipped through their defenses. “Oswald, how much thinner you got left?”

“Not enough ta get through one a’ these walls, if that’s what you’re hopin’,” Oswald replied.

“Gosh. That’s not good,” Mickey said.

“Uh, fellas?” Goofy said, pointing up. “Neither is that!”  
A massive meteor, larger than any they’d seen yet, was bearing down on them. It was large enough to crush them completely if they didn’t destroy it somehow. “I… can’t get through that either,” Oswald said, his eyes widening.

Donald took a deep breath. “All right then,” he said, and stepped forwards. “Then I guess I’ll have to take care of it.” A circular spell diagram swirled around his feet. Goofy and Mickey’s eyes widened, both knowing what that meant.

“Donald! Don’t!” Goofy shouted, but it was too late.

Donald took a deep breath, gathering his magic. “ _ZETTA-_ ”

Before he could complete the spell, a bright, shining point of light zigzagged down from the heavens, disappearing behind the giant meteor. A loud cracking sound echoed throughout the world, and the meteor shattered into tinier pieces, easy enough to pick off.

In the space formerly blocked by the giant rock, an anatine figure hung in midair, brandishing a large war hammer. As they watched, shocked, she descended down to the ground, whereupon she immediately started yelling.

“ _Donald Fauntleroy Duck!_ Just what _exactly_ do you think you were about to do?!”

“Ah… gosh, Daisy… I was… uh…” Donald mumbled, sweat pouring down his face as Oswald caught Goofy’s eye and mouthed “Fauntleroy?”

Daisy Duck stepped forwards and swept him into a bone-crushing hug. “Never do that again!” she ordered, and Donald vigorously nodded his assent.

“Daisy, what’re you doin’ here?” Mickey asked. “Not that we’re not glad ta have ya – and thanks for the rescue – but I thought you were back home with Minnie?”

Daisy let go of her beau (much to the relief of Donald’s lungs) and turned to her King. “Well, Your Majesty, Master Yen Sid showed up and asked us if we wanted to come along and help.”

Mickey blinked. “‘Us’?”

It was working.

It was sort of working.

Kind of.

Kairi wanted to stay optimistic.

Together, she, Roxas, and Xion had been able to produce a powerful Holy spell. It shot towards the heavens, eradicating any of the falling rocks that came into contact with it.

The problem was that that was all it was doing. Roxas and Xion were doing their best at directing it, but it was large and unwieldy. Still, it was better than nothing, but even so…

Kairi felt a soft hand on her shoulder. “Very well done, dear. But would you like some help?”

“Huh?” Kairi said, and out from behind her stepped Minnie Mouse, Queen of Disney Town. “ _Queen Minnie?_ ”

“Please, remember, I said just call me Minnie,” said the Queen, giggling just a bit.

“Your Ma- Minnie, what are you doing here?” Xion asked.

“Right now? Helping, if you’ll let me,” she replied.

“Anything you can do right now would be a huge help,” Roxas said, and Kairi and Xion enthusiastically nodded their agreement.

“In that case…” Minnie placed a hand on Roxas and Xion’s shoulders. “You have the basic structure right, but might I suggest a more controlled output?”

Minnie’s tiara flared, and the giant beam of light shrank down into a tiny beam. “Then, if we just do this…” Minnie said, and Kairi could feel her alterations to the spell. The beam shrunk down further into just a tiny ball. “That should do it,” Minnie said, satisfied.

“Uh…” Roxas started, but before he could protest, dozens if not hundreds of tiny lasers lanced out of the sphere, all pointed skywards, all extending to touch individual meteors.

The impacted meteors immediately turned to dust.

“Yes…” Kairi breathed, beaming.

Together, the four light mages blanketed the area in Holy, eradicating every last meteor, their task made much easier by the way Naminé had been reducing them. As they worked, the disparate groups gathered together. There was a bit of confusion as to why Naminé was riding a giant death machine, but everyone was glad to see everyone else in mostly one piece.

As Hecatoncheir’s cannons wound down, the Eidolon blanketed the area in a bright light. When it faded, it had returned to its humanoid form, with Naminé cradled in its arms. She was lightly flushed, and a bit surprised; she hadn’t been expecting it to vibrate like that.

Hecatoncheir set her down and motioned her towards her friends. “Thank you,” she said, and it nodded. “Are you leaving now?”

There was a feeling, deep in her heart, of need.

Hecatoncheir was needed elsewhere. By someone else.

Naminé nodded, knowing who that someone was. “Then you should get going, huh?” she said. “Give her my best.”

Hecatoncheir nodded again, and slowly faded away in a flurry of orange sparks. “Thank you… Vanille,” Naminé whispered.

“We did it! Whoa!” Kairi said as she toppled backwards. Terra moved just in time to catch her. “Why can I taste colours?”

“I think you might’ve exhausted yourself,” Xion said.

“Shit. Can’t believe Ansem was right,” Kairi said. Her light was still there, of course, but she couldn’t call on it. It would need time to recharge.

Time, however, was not something they had. “I hate to bring bad news,” Riku said, “But Sephiroth’s coming back!” Even as he spoke, a new barrier of Darkness flew up in the middle of the group, cutting Riku and Kairi off from the rest.

Sephiroth descended, slowly, an annoyed expression on his face. “The Princess has exhausted herself,” he said, slowly. “Which leaves you as the only threat.”

“Hey, don’t sell me short,” Kairi said, struggling to her feet. “Might not have Princess powers right now, but I can still fight.”

“Everyone else doesn’t count?” Riku asked. Behind him, everyone else was struggling to pierce the Darkness. He had confidence they could do it, but it would take time.

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed. “None of them have _wounded_ my person,” he said, quietly.

“So you have a personal stake in this now? Good for you,” Riku said, sarcastic, readying his stance as Kairi did the same beside him.

“So, think we can take him?” Kairi asked.

Riku sighed. “Now that you’ve asked me that?”

Sephiroth lunged forwards, and Riku and Kairi rolled in different directions. Despite the distance between them, both had to duck to avoid Sephiroth’s next swing. “It’s too late for mercy,” Sephiroth intoned, and Riku barely managed to avoid a plunging attack. “Now, _beg for your lives_.”

“I don’t think so!” Kairi said, and shot a blast of Thundaga at Sephiroth; regular magic, she could handle just fine.

The spell impacted Sephiroth’s chest and fizzled out. He looked down at the point of impact, then back up at Kairi. “Oh… shit…” she said as he stalked towards her.

“A pity that a light which once shone so bright must be extinguished,” Sephiroth mused, and raised his sword. Riku lunged, but Sephiroth grabbed him out of the air with his free hand and threw him away. The massively long sword was brought back –

Before it could swing down on Kairi, a small, round object on a string raced out and looped itself around Sephiroth’s arm, holding him in place. “What?” Sephiroth asked, sounding mildly irritated.

Behind him, Sora was holding tight to the string of his Formchanged Keyblade. He’d been within the barrier when it had closed. “Get away from my partners,” he ordered. The quaver was gone from his voice.

“Ah, Sora,” Sephiroth said, warmly. “I am pleased to see you have recovered. I trust you’ll be willing to entertain me this time before your demise?”

“I’m not planning on dying today,” Sora shot back. “None of us are.” Kairi and Riku struggled to their feet, joining him, as Sora turned his Keyblade back to normal.

“The best-laid plans of moogles and men often go awry,” Sephiroth replied, and readied his sword.

There was a half-second of silence, and then there was motion.

The three Keybearers rushed the man-shaped monster, who met them in the middle in a flurry of dancing swords and blasts of magic. A blast of light emanated from Sephiroth, and Kairi and Riku felt like their limbs had grown dozens of times heavier, exhaustion pushing them to their limits. The effect only lasted for a few seconds before Sora cast a Curaga over all three of them. “Not this time!” he said, with confidence, glaring at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth smiled. “So he can learn. But your magic will not last forever.” He leveled his sword at Sora and a Flare spell wreathed in Darkness erupted from the tip.

Just before it made contact, a Reflect spell sprang up in front of Sora, bouncing the magic back into Sephiroth’s face. He stumbled back, shaking his head to clear it, as Kairi lowered her Keyblade. Sora nodded his thanks, and Kairi beamed.

Riku pressed the attack, launching a flurry of blows at Sephiroth. Sephiroth brought his sword up, held backhand, and blocked them all.

As he did so, both his and Riku’s auras flared, and went out.

“Is that all? You can do better than that,” Sephiroth said, shaking his head. “You continue to vex me. Understand this. You will know what true “terror” is; I will teach it to you.” Riku’s eyes widened upon seeing another three black marble-like objects in Sephiroth’s hand. “Even gods will give in to despair. Only death awaits you, but do not fear. For it is through death that new Darkness is born. Soon, you will live again… as part of _me_.” Slowly, he raised his arm skyward.

“That. Is. _Enough_.”

Sephiroth froze. It might have had something to do with the spiked, neon blue-fading-to-black, clock-motifed Keyblade now protruding out of his sternum. Slowly, he dropped his sword, and it fell to the ground with a clang. More of the strange black substance oozed out of his chest. “Mother…” he whispered. “I’m sorry… I have failed… again…”

His body warped and twisted, vanishing away to whatever time it was taken from.

Behind him stood the younger Xehanort, who wiped what stains remained off of his Keyblade. “My apologies,” he said, turning to Sora, Kairi, and Riku. “Shall we continue?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're starting to hit the point where I have a lot to talk about and I start to eye the word count with fear. So, let's get right into it.  
> The title is from the main theme to Neon Genesis Evangelion, specifically [this English fan translation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJuexdl_c5s). Technically, it should be "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", but lyrically "This cruel thesis, a spiteful angel's litany" seemed to work better for them. I like it.  
> Why Sephiroth? In the lead-up to KH3, I thought that a wonderful way to show Sora's development across the franchise would be for Nomura to make Sephiroth a Nort, and have him fought halfway through the game as a midboss, with his mechanics being exactly the same as KH1 (I assumed the fight would be easier since the controls and Sora's abilities have gotten better). In the same way that Aqua fought Maleficent in BBS as compared to Sora fighting her in KH1. Since Nomura didn't do that, I decided I had to. Why does he want to hurt Cloud? Why does he bleed geostigma? Why did he have multiple Black Materia? These questions will be answered at a later date.  
> As originally conceived, this would've been just Riku and Sora vs Sephiroth, but since I missed out on the SoRiKai fight opportunity last time, Kairi came with. Her, Roxas, and Xion casting a Holy spell to stop the asteroid storm was always the plan, but Minnie, Daisy, and Yen Sid joining the Guardians was a last minute decision - and I mean _last_ minute. Between writing the previous chapter and this one. This also resulted in the title of the fic changing from "The Seekers and the Guardians" to "Seven and Thirteen". Why? You'll see.  
> I was so glad I remembered that Donald has a middle name, and I'm even more glad that his middle name is "Fauntleroy". Daisy having a warhammer as a weapon was an idea I borrowed from a friend's (still-unpublished as of this writing) fic. (Sorry, Maria).  
> Yen Sid shows up because I couldn't have my Yen Sid do _less_ than canon Yen Sid. His magic is octagons because Discworld, where 8 is the "magical" number instead of 7.  
> The bit with Vanitas keeping the promise that was never made to Naminé was one of my first ideas for this fic back when I first decided to bring Vanitas back, concurrent with Aqua fighting Parent Trap-ing Roxas and Ven. Longest of games, yadda yadda.  
> Speaking of, Chekhov's Eidolon. Was I planning to use it here when I gave it to Naminé? Actually, no, but for reasons this was one of the last times I could use it. You'll see why eventually. The chant that Naminé says is actually written in a fictional script on the summon effect for Hecaton; each of the l'Cie in FF13 have their own incantation for their own Eidolon, and you'll never see it through normal gameplay (the FF Wiki has you covered, though). It was too cool not to use.  
> Xehanort doesn't like when things don't go according to plan. He really should have realized that Sephiroth did not give a shit about his instructions, but hey. Hindsight. Young Nort's actions were sanctioned by the old man, is my point.  
> If you're counting, you've probably realized that _we only have two Norts left_. Exciting! "Why two Norts and five chapters?" you ask, concerned. "Shhhhh don't think about it," I say, with a winning smile that still leaves you uncertain. "It'll be _fine_."  
> In other news, if you like urban fantasy and Naminé/Xion, I put [this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24284044/chapters/58532227) up the other day. It's part of an AU I've been contributing to with a group of friends, there's a link to another fic not by me in the same AU in the notes of that one.  
> In other other news, I finished FFVIIR last Friday. Amazing, stupendous, I loved it, I loved the direction it went, I can't wait for the next one to see where it goes from here. Which means I'm back on my FFX bullshit for the time being, and I have an important question. How exactly am I supposed to tell when I've done enough grinding? I don't know how to tell if I can stop, aside from filling out the entire sphere grid (which. No.) I'd appreciate any advice you may have (Note that "You shouldn't need to grind" is not advice.)  
> I think that's about everything of note! Next week, well... Time will tell.


	16. Thinking Twice

“Why did you do that?” Sora demanded. “Wasn’t he on your side?”

“His role had been fulfilled,” Xehanort said, “and he had proved himself a danger to everyone around him. We had no more use for him, and leaving him alive ran the risk of further destruction. The only logical thing to do was to eliminate him.”

“Just like that?” Sora said, surprised and angry.

Xehanort raised an eyebrow. “Is that not the same thing you were trying to accomplish?”

“But… but he was on your side!” Sora protested.

Xehanort shook his head. “He had fulfilled his role. And now… I must fulfil mine.” He raised his Keyblade and pointed it at Kairi. Both of their auras flared.

Sora and Riku both stepped between them. “If you want to get to her, you have to go through us,” Riku declared, Sora nodding in agreement.

Xehanort stared at them, unamused. He sighed. “If I must.” Before they could ask what he meant by that, he snapped his fingers.

In the space of a blink, both he and Sora were gone.

Riku spun, looking for them, and so did Kairi, but neither of them could see them. The barrier of Darkness was still up; it was possible they were merely beyond it, but Riku didn’t think that was likely.

“So it’s… that place,” he muttered to himself.

“What place?” Kairi asked, a little more harshly than she intended out of worry. “Riku, what’s going on?”

Sora blinked, and they were in a different place entirely.

In the middle of a black void, a grey ring dial floated, broken. Gears and cogs stretched out on poles above and below it, and Sora could see more turning below his feet – the ground appeared to be transparent glass. Six hourglasses floated in midair along one side of the clockwork platform, each containing sand of a different primary or secondary colour. Looking down through the glass, Sora could see a large Nobody emblem emblazoned in red on one of the gears – but as he watched, it lifted as dust off the cog, and blew away in a non-existent wind.

“They believed this place to be a location within the Castle That Never Was,” came a voice from behind him, “but that is a false assumption I let them possess.”

“Xehanort!” Sora said, spinning around with his Keyblade at the ready, but Xehanort was nowhere near him, walking along the wall on the other side of the platform.

“They called it the Sanctum of Time,” he continued, ignoring Sora and brushing his free hand over the walls. “And how right they were in that.”

Hesitantly, Sora lowered his Keyblade, listening. “This room exists outside of time. It can only be reached by the wielder of this Keyblade, and whoever they decide to bring along with them.” Xehanort stopped as the wall ran out, curving down to meet what might have been a dial.

“So… are you saying we can talk here?” Sora said, confused.

Xehanort finally seemed to acknowledge his presence. “Talk?” he asked. There was a hint of something Sora couldn’t put his finger on in his voice. “You said that to fulfil the role I must play, to reach one of the final Guardians who as of yet have not completed _their_ role, I had to make my way through you. Was that not the _case?_ ” As he spoke the last word, he whipped his Keyblade up, the blade extending out into a slightly familiar (due to its similarities to Terra’s) whip shape, lashing at Sora.

Sora dodged back, outside of its range.

“Come now, Sora,” Xehanort said, stalking towards him. “It’s pointless to resist. We must act out the roles prescribed for us in this drama.”

“Act out our roles? Why can’t we just talk about this?” Sora demanded, sidestepping a few more strikes from the whip.

Xehanort shook his head. “You have your own motives, your own desires. And I have mine. I fear it really is just that simple.” Before Sora could have a moment to ponder this, Xehanort rushed towards him.

Sora blocked his first attack, only to recoil in surprise as Xehanort simply vanished. Some intuition made him whirl just in time to catch another strike coming from the left, then another on the right as Xehanort vanished and reappeared at various points around him. “You’ll never prevail, you know,” he said, almost conversationally, appearing several feet back and shaking his head. “Not on your own.”

Sora spun to face him. “I’m not alone,” he said. “My friends… they’re all right here with me.”

Xehanort laughed. There was that strange note again, almost like… “You are a Keybearer, Sora. To bear a Keyblade is to be alone.”

Sora shook his head. “I refuse to believe that. My friends have always been right there when I needed them, and I’ve been there for them. I suppose you wouldn’t know that, though.” He glared at Xehanort. “Something tells me, you’ve always been alone. And you always will be.”

Xehanort didn’t respond. Sora continued to glare at him, but internally, he was a little confused. He was used to people like Xemnas and Ansem simply pushing his words aside. Perhaps this was an opportunity. “Or, you could stop this. Forget the χ–blade, go back to your own time, and make those connections while you still have a chance!”

“While I still have a chance?” Xehanort repeated, incredulous. “Sora, from your perspective, my life has already happened. What _chance_ do I have? Every action I take, every decision I make, is set in stone. What has been, must be, so that what is, will be. I cannot change the future that has _already happened_.” There it was again, that subtle note of…

Bitterness.

It slowly dawned on Sora that on some level, this Xehanort hated the idea that his future was preordained. That everything he did would merely lead to these events. That there was nothing he could do to change things.

That his choices were already set in stone, before he even got to make them for the first time.

There comes a time when a realization hits you all at once. When you see the possibilities stretch out before you, and know that your next action will reduce them to only one. Some call them shatterpoints; others, crucibles. However you define it, it comes with the surety that things will change if you reach out. There are moments of “now-or-never”; but these are moments simply of “now”.

“But you haven’t made those choices yet,” Sora said, slowly. “For you, this future hasn’t happened.”

Xehanort scoffed. “It clearly has, else we would not be having this con–”

“You’re not listening,” Sora interrupted, and the firmness in his voice was enough to silence Xehanort. “You’re thinking about this from the wrong perspective. You say everything that happened to the older you has to happen to _this_ you, in order to bring about _this_ future. But… you have it backwards. You don’t have to make the choices the older you made. You aren’t limited by what he chose; you can make _different_ choices!”

“Every choice I make will simply lead us back here!” Xehanort replied, his voice raising for the first time Sora could remember.

“Not if you decide they won’t!” Sora replied in the same tone. “What your older self did has no bearing on you! You’re from earlier than he is!”

“I would not be who I am without what he has done!” Xehanort shouted.

“No! _He_ would not be who _he_ is without what _you MIGHT do_!” Sora shot back. “He _depends_ on you making the same choices! But you _don’t have to!_ Break the cycle! Make sure you never end up here! Don’t make the choice to seek the Darkness!”

“I cannot be anything other than what I am!”

“And right now, _you aren’t him!_ ” This brought Xehanort up short, stunning him into silence. “You aren’t him,” Sora repeated, in a quieter tone. “You haven’t lived through the same experiences, made the same choices. All those decisions are waiting in your future. You don’t have to make the same ones.”

“What if I want to?” Xehanort challenged, matching Sora’s low tone. “What if I want to pursue the power of Darkness, the forbidden knowledge of the Lost Masters, the creation of the χ–blade and the start of the second Keyblade War?”

“You don’t,” Sora said, simply, calmly.

“What?” Xehanort demanded.

“You don’t,” Sora repeated. “You don’t want that.”

“Why do you think I don’t want that?” Xehanort asked, face twisted in anger.

“Because if you did, you would have either fought me and Riku and Kairi in the Graveyard, or dropped me and Riku in here and went for Kairi, or attacked Kairi instead of Sephiroth when you had the chance, or… I don’t know, hundreds of other things,” Sora said. “But you didn’t. You brought me here, alone, to a place only you can get to. I don’t know what you want… but I don’t think forging the χ–blade is something you’re actually interested in. What point does bringing me here accomplish… aside from being a cry for help?”

“You… think I want _help?_ ” Xehanort repeated, incredulous.

Sora shrugged. “Want, probably not, but… need. I think, on some level, you _need_ help. You don’t want this. You don’t want to be what you think you’re destined to become.”

“I…” Xehanort said, lost.

“And you don’t _have_ to be this. Reach out. I know you weren’t really alone, in your own time. You had a Keyblade Master; you had to’ve. And…” Sora’s face screwed up as he tried to remember. “Didn’t… I think the old you and Master Eraqus referred to each other as friends? I mean, you killed him, so probably it was sarcastic, but… hey, you okay?”

Just for a second, a flash of pain had written over Xehanort’s face. “In the middle of a fight to the death, and he asks if his opponent is ‘okay’,” he muttered to himself.

Sora frowned. “Does it look like we’re fighting to you? We’re just talking. …it was about Master Eraqus, right? That’s what bothered you? When I said–”

“Enough,” Xehanort said, a flash of anger in his eyes.

“That you killed him,” Sora finished, staring unblinking at Xehanort. “That’s it, isn’t it. You don’t want to kill your friend. And you think you don’t have a choice in that.”

“Eraqus does not understand the purpose of my actions,” Xehanort said through tightly held teeth. “If he gets in the way, then… then…”

“Then you’ll be okay with murdering your friend? Someone who trusts you? Someone who believes in you?” Sora prodded.

“ _Of course I wouldn’t be okay with it!_ ” Xehanort roared, and Sora quickly stepped out of the way as a blast of darkness lanced off of the other man; not directed at Sora himself, but clearly the result of a loss of control. “But I _have_ to.”

Thinking about how mad Kairi and Riku would both be if they saw him doing this, Sora banished his Keyblade and stepped forwards, putting a hand on Xehanort’s shoulder. “No,” he said simply. “You _don’t._ ”

Xehanort stared at him, and in his eyes, Sora could see it.

Xehanort _wanted_ to believe him.

Xehanort pushed Sora’s hand off of his shoulder and shook his head. “One man cannot summon the future,” he said.

“But one man _can_ change the present!” Sora insisted. “Our present is your past. But that means that our past is your present. Your decisions _matter_ , Xehanort. The choices _you_ make for _yourself_ matter. You’ve seen this future, but for you, it’s just a _possible_ future. Something that _could_ happen. And you have the power to make sure it never does.”

Xehanort was frowning, not meeting Sora’s eyes. “But what of you, and your friends? The ones who only exist because of my future actions? What of Roxas, of Naminé, of Xion and Vanitas?”

Sora shook his head. “Even if you do change your present, I don’t think it’s going to alter this future. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if it did. You can’t fix what happened to us, but you can make a better future for the time you’re going back to.” Sora moved to stand directly in front of Xehanort, and forced him to meet his eyes. “You are not bound by the role the older you says you have to play.”

“Your time would still be threatened, though,” Xehanort murmured. “The χ–blade…”

“Can only be forged with clashes between seven lights and thirteen darknesses,” Sora agreed. “So, if we didn’t have that exact number…”

Xehanort’s eyes widened. His gaze moved from Sora’s face to the Keyblade of Time still in his hand. Slowly, he closed his eyes, and banished it.

The purple aura surrounding his body faded, as he ceded his role as a Seeker of Darkness.

Sora beamed ear to ear. “Does this mean you agree?”

Xehanort smiled back. “Let’s just say… I am making a choice.” He snapped his fingers.

“What place?” Kairi asked, a little more harshly than she intended out of worry. “Riku, what’s going on?”

“There was this–” Riku started, but he was cut off by Sora and Xehanort reappearing with a soft _pop_ of displaced air.

Kairi marched over, a grim expression on her face and her Keyblade held tightly in her hand, but Sora stepped between them before she could swing it. “Kairi, no, it’s okay, we talked it out!”

“Talked it out?” she repeated, incredulous. She leaned around Sora to look at Xehanort, who looked incredibly out of place and uncomfortable. She let out a long breath. “Well, I guess if anyone was going to get a result like that, it’d be you, Sora.”

“Yeah… I just made sure he knew that it’s never too late to make a choice again, especially for the first time,” Sora said, and slowly grinned at her.

Kairi’s eyes widened. “You’re _kidding_. It was about _him?_ ”

“Sounds like it,” Sora said.

Riku, meanwhile, had approached Xehanort. “Your aura’s gone,” he said, a little bemused.

Xehanort nodded. “Your partner managed to convince me that… forging the χ–blade is not conducive to my goals.”

“And what are your goals?” Riku asked, with a hint of suspicion.

Xehanort gave him a tired look. “When I figure that out, Riku, I’ll be sure to let you know. Oh, yes,” he said, and waved his hands, lowering the barrier separating them from their friends.

The larger group rushed in, Keyblades and other armaments at the ready, and it took some time for Sora to convince everyone that this Xehanort was no longer a threat. However, he did eventually manage it, even if Terra, Vanitas, and Aqua kept giving him dark looks.

“So where does that leave us?” Naminé asked.

“Well, Kairi and I are still glowing, so I guess we haven’t been counted as ‘clashes’ yet,” Ven mused. He’d pointed out the χ–blade hovering above to everyone else, but it hadn’t fully solidified yet.

“Indeed,” Yen Sid agreed. “Which is fortunate for us. If we can prevent the two of you from encountering the final Seeker, we–”

“I am afraid that might be a bit more difficult than you believe, Master Yen Sid,” came a voice from some distance away. The group turned as one to behold Master Xehanort, his hands clasped behind his back, standing on a surviving piece of wall, looking down upon them.

He did not look amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a long time coming.  
> The canonical Young Xehanort is intentionally written to have an air of distance between himself and the events he's taking part in. They're so far in the future from him, that they don't matter to him. That, and he's been told they're inevitable.  
> But... choices matter. Actions matter. Efforts matter.  
> No future is truly carved in stone.  
> If we're the sum total of all we've experienced, then by definition we're not the same person we were yesterday, we're not the same person we were a year ago, and we're definitely not the person we'll be in 72 years. For better or worse.  
> ...After saying all that, it might be a bit underwhelming to know that my reason for giving Young Xehanort a chance to write a new story for himself is entirely due to the fact that I relied on one of his medals in KHUx for a while, back when I was starting this series, and I liked his design and art. What can I say? They shouldn't have made him cute. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> Being as I am me and I'm predictable, I've borrowed heavily here from the original Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror". It features some of the Enterprise crew getting trapped in an alternate universe where everyone is evil, and what's worse, Spock has a beard. Evil Spock eventually figures out where our crew is from and that he needs to send them home to get his own evil crew back, but not before our Kirk challenges him to be better. To try to change the universe around him. One man, Spock argues, cannot summon the future; but one man, Kirk replies, _can_ move the present. It's one of my favourite episodes; and I will never be able to resist referencing Spock as regards Xehanort. (There also might be a quotation from another video game published by Square Enix in there. Don't worry if you don't recognize it.)  
> I think that's about everything, longest of games, yadda yadda, you've heard it before and I don't think anyone's surprised by the planning at this point moreso than the execution. :P Speaking of which, we have two clashes left that have to happen before it's χ–blade-o-clock, but only one Seeker left! That's not good for Master Xehanort! D: Whatever is a Keyblade Master to do?  
> Well, monologue, of course. Next week, I _earn_ that "Xehanort/the sound of his own voice" tag. Until then!


	17. Check

“I had hoped,” Master Xehanort said, “that we might avoid this youthful foolishness.” As he spoke, he stepped forwards, and loose chunks of rock flew into place to create a staircase piece by piece.

“I was expecting _some_ form of betrayal from some quarter,” he continued, “some weakness of spirit or grasp for unearned power. But never did I expect it from my own self.” He fixed his younger self with a glare. “Just what do you think you are doing, _boy?_ ”

The younger Xehanort matched him glare for glare. “Taking a stand.”

“Is that so. Have you forgotten what we seek to accomplish?” Master Xehanort asked.

“No, I remember quite well what _you_ seek to accomplish,” Xehanort replied, the bitterness in his voice now unhidden.

“ _We_ ,” Master Xehanort repeated. “We are the same person, you and I.”

“Maybe,” Sora said, stepping forwards to stand beside Xehanort, “but people grow and change over time. And nothing says he has to become you.”

Master Xehanort’s eyebrow lifted in surprise for a second before he began to laugh humourlessly. “Nothing says he must become me? You are not thinking fourth-dimensionally, boy. Our timeline is a closed circle.” He smiled. “You will understand, with time. Once you return to your own present and forget what has occurred here.”

“You won’t… remember?” Sora asked, looking to the younger Xehanort.

“I understand perfectly right now,” Xehanort said, ignoring Sora. “And it is your understanding that is flawed. Without me, you would not be who you are. I cannot change you; but I can ensure I will never _become_ you. I was not born guilty of your crimes.”

“No,” Master Xehanort replied, smiling cruelly. “You are only guilty of your own.”

A muscle twitched in Xehanort’s jaw, but before he could respond, Yen Sid stepped forwards. “Xehanort,” he said, addressing the Keyblade Master, “It is not yet too late. End this.”

“Ah, Master Yen Sid,” Master Xehanort said, with a hint of something bordering on affection, or possibly amusement. “So nice to see you out of that Tower. The last I heard, you had retired.”

“To counter a threat of such scale, even those who cannot contribute much may come forwards,” Yen Sid said.

Master Xehanort shook his head. “A threat. After all the years we’ve known each other, is that all I am?”

“It is what you have become,” Yen Sid replied.

“Still you do not understand,” Master Xehanort said.

“No, we don’t. None of us do,” said Riku.

“And we don’t need to understand to stop you,” Ven agreed.

“Explain,” Kairi said, suddenly. All eyes turned to her.

“Excuse me?” Master Xehanort asked.

“Explain,” she repeated. “You keep going on about how none of us understand. What we understand is that you’re trying to reforge the χ–blade, an ancient weapon tied to Kingdom Hearts itself. Why?”

Terra frowned. “You said it wasn’t the power that you wanted.”

“If we can believe your word on that,” Aqua muttered, behind him.

“So what is it you did want?” Terra continued. “Why all of this? What’s the point?”

Master Xehanort stared at them for a bit, then turned back and ascended the makeshift staircase, its steps slotting into place as he needed them. “These disparate worlds were once all one World. Is that not correct, Master Yen Sid?”

“It is correct,” Yen Sid said, frowning deeper than usual.

“That World began in Darkness. And from that Darkness came Light,” Xehanort continued. “From that Light came the people, and the people had hearts.

“But the Light was not to last.

“Evil burgeoned in those hearts, begetting more Darkness. That Darkness overgrew the Light, sending the World out of balance. It spread across the World like a plague. The Light, the very symbol of the World’s hope, was devoured by shadows, leaving nothing but ruin.

“Thus, the first Keyblade War was fought over what little Light remained, between those who sought to protect it, those who sought to hoard it, those who sought to balance it… and those who sought to extinguish it. And the World was broken into the tiny pieces we know now. An utter failure.

“But the first Light burns on – the light of Kingdom Hearts. It can give the World a new start. An empty World, pure… and _blank_. Bereft of the evil that dwells in the hearts of people. And for that World to exist, someone had to stand up and lead. To stem the tide of endless Darkness; even if they must embrace that Darkness itself to do so.” Master Xehanort stopped at the top of the stairs, his back still to the assembled Guardians.

“That wasn’t your decision to make.”

Master Xehanort turned, as did most of the Guardians, as Naminé spoke up from the back.

“There is evil in these worlds. I don’t dispute that. I know firsthand, from both sides.” Naminé’s voice was clear and unwavering. “But you cannot say you stand outside of that evil as an impartial observer. You exist within this fractured World, just as we do. Just as fallible. Just as human. Just as capable of evil.”

“What give you the right?” Sora asked. “What gives you the right to look at all these people in all these worlds and say ‘not good enough’? Each of them… each and every one of them have their own lives. Their own wants. Their own feelings. And what you’re doing… you want to snuff them out? Just because they have darkness inside of them? Everyone has that. Everyone always will. People are… we are creatures of both. Light _and_ Darkness. We can’t lose faith in ourselves, or in each other, over things we need to have to be human. If you look, and all you see is darkness… then you’re forgetting about the light that cast the shadows in the first place.”

“No one is pure anything,” Kairi agreed. “No one, not even Princesses of Heart, are truly ‘pure’ lights. And evil and darkness are not the same thing. Light is just as capable of evil. Darkness is just as capable of good. To wipe that all away – to scrub the worlds clean of life because that life doesn’t meet some arbitrary criteria…” She broke off, shaking her head. “All right. I asked, and now we know. Now we understand.” She looked up, meeting Master Xehanort eye-to-eye. “And we will not allow this to continue any further.”

“You will try,” Master Xehanort said, simply. “The youthful foolishness of my younger self does create something of a setback.” A flash of purple and gold light sparked from his hand as his Keyblade flashed into being. “Fortunate, though, that you have brought me so many _spares_.”

Before any of them could react, he whirled, his Keyblade pointed straight at Sora.

A golden light suffused Master Xehanort’s body, and his form shrank down into a small ball of light, which shot forwards… and impacted Sora directly in the chest.

Time seemed to slow down as Sora fell backwards, his eyes glassy and distant.

“Sora!” Kairi was the first one to his side. “Sora, come on, talk to me!”

He didn’t respond. “Dammit, Sora, don’t do this to me, come on!” Kairi hissed.

“Kairi, step back from him.” Terra had moved next to her, while Riku had taken up position on Sora’s other side. “Ven, you too.”

“I’m not going to–” Kairi started to snap, but Terra cut her off.

“You two still haven’t lost your auras. He’s going to try to use Sora as an extra Seeker. We need to keep you two away from him.”

“Absolutely not,” Kairi said. “I fixed Isa, I fixed Oswald – this is Oswald, by the way, he’s King Mickey’s brother – I can fix Sora!” She concentrated, reaching out for Sora with her heart.

And sat back, confused, with a headache. “Why can’t I…?” she murmured, then she remembered. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_.”

Riku’s eyes widened. “Oh no. You’re–”

“I’m out of Princess juice,” Kairi confirmed.

“ _Please_ don’t phrase it like that,” Lea said, squatting beside her. “So, what now? What can we do? Anyone?” he added, looking up. “Xehanort Jr.?”

“I’m not–” Xehanort sighed, and shook his head. “If Sora can fight him off, his Darkness may not take. However, I… have my doubts as to Sora’s ability to resist my older self. And I agree that you should vacate the area, Princess,” he said, tone going stern.

“Bite me,” Kairi replied.

“Kairi,” Aqua said.

“I’m not leaving him,” Kairi said, firmly, and that was the end of the argument.

Ven, meanwhile, was frowning. “Xion, Roxas, Vanitas, do you guys think…”

“I make an effort to think, yes,” Roxas said. Sora’s condition remained unchanged, but they were all unnerved, and Roxas was dealing with it the best way he knew how.

“No, listen,” Ven said.

“What?” Vanitas grumbled.

“Do you think we…?”

“What’s happing now?” Naminé asked. Sora’s eyes, still open, had started to flicker from blue to gold.

Xehanort shook his head. “He’s losing the fight.”

“No, come on, Sora,” Kairi whispered, taking his hand and squeezing it.

“Sora… I know you’re stronger than this,” Riku said in the same tone, taking his other hand. Behind them, Donald and Goofy had taken positions at Sora’s back. They shared a worried look.

“Guys,” Xion said, stepping towards them with Roxas, Ven, and Vanitas in tow, “We have an idea.”

“What kind of idea?” Riku asked.

She took a deep breath. “What if we… went and helped Sora?”

Kairi frowned. “Helped him? Helped him how?”

“From inside his heart,” Ven explained.

“Is that even possible?” Lea asked.

“Xehanort did just do it,” Isa mused.

Lea frowned. “You mean–”

“Send our hearts into Sora, yeah,” Roxas said. “We know it’s risky, but we still want to try.”

“All of you?” Aqua asked, her gaze fixed on Vanitas.

Vanitas huffed. “Some of us owe rent.”

“We all do,” Xion agreed. “What do you say, Kairi, Riku?”

The two met each other’s eyes, and both glanced down at Sora. “All right,” Kairi said, looking back. “It’s worth a shot. You sure you’re going to be okay?”

“We’re sure that Sora won’t be without us,” Roxas said. Ven and Xion nodded, and Vanitas rolled his eyes, but all of them summoned their Keyblades and pointed them at Sora’s chest.

“Uh, can someone catch our bodies? I don’t think we can send more than our hearts,” Ven said.

“On it,” Terra said, and he, Aqua, Lea, and Isa moved into position.

“Okay… let’s do it,” Xion said. The four of them took deep breaths.

Four points of light formed on the tips of four Keyblades. Four beams of light shot forwards and impacted Sora’s chest. Four bodies fell backwards.

“Now what?” Lea asked, lowering Roxas to the ground.

“Now we wait and hope,” Isa replied, doing the same with Xion.

“I have faith in them,” Terra said, patting Ven’s head.

Aqua looked down at Vanitas in her arms. “I do, too.”

“Where the fuck are we?” Vanitas asked.

“The Destiny Islands?” Roxas mused. “I thought we’d be in his Heart Station.” They were standing on the beach, between the bridge that led to the sparring island and the dock.

“Guess that wouldn’t be as interesting a set piece, huh?” Xion pointed out.

“A what?” Vanitas asked again.

“Look!” Ven said, before Vanitas could get an answer.

Master Xehanort stood before them, on the bridge that connected the sparring island to the rest of the island. “So, you have followed back to where you were once imprisoned. I am surprised.”

“There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for our friends!” Ven declared. Xion, beside him, nodded along enthusiastically. Roxas and Vanitas, behind them, shared a glance and shrugged. All four of them summoned their Keyblades.

Master Xehanort sighed. “The impertinence of youth will never cease to bemuse me.” He summoned his own Keyblade, holding it loosely at his side, then shook his head. “Unfortunately… you are _too late_.

“ _I am already in control_.”

Back in the outside world, Sora seemed to tense. “Sora?” Kairi asked, bending in close to look. “Are you–?”

She was cut off by a blast of Darkness that exploded from Sora’s body. Kairi, and everyone else around, was knocked back, as Sora slowly rose into the air and landed on his feet.

Coughing, Kairi stood up as well. “Everyone all…? Oh, _shit_.”

She and Sora were now surrounded by a dome of Darkness, similar to the barrier Sephiroth had created.

She and Sora alone.

Sora’s eyes slowly blinked open, and he shook himself, stretching like he’d just woken from a nap. “Kairi?” he asked, sounding confused. “What’s wrong?”

It sounded just like him.

It _was_ him, Kairi corrected herself. He just wasn’t in the driver’s seat at the moment.

Sora – or, the person wearing Sora’s face – frowned. “Kairi, come on, talk to me, what’s wrong?”

“Sora, how are you feeling?” she asked, carefully.

Sora considered the question. “I feel fine. You don’t look okay, though. Please tell me what’s wrong?” As he spoke, a purple aura started to glow around his body.

“Well, there’s the fact that Xehanort launched his heart into you and is probably controlling you right now,” Kairi said. “Meaning I’m not talking to the boy I love, just the creep who stole his body.”

Sora pouted. “Kairi, that’s not nice. It’s me. It’s Sora. Don’t you believe me?”

Kairi sighed. “Sora, baby, I love you. But I also know that you’re probably not you right now. And if it is really you, under the circumstances I think you’ll forgive me for not trusting you right now. I can’t trust that you are who you say you are.”

There was a look of sheer pain on Sora’s face right now, and Kairi hoped to Kingdom Hearts that it really wasn’t him she was talking to. She’d never seen him look that badly hurt before. “Kairi, come on, don’t be like that,” he pleaded. “It’s me. It’s Sora. Look, just… Let’s go back to the Islands, just the two of us, and talk this out.”

Kairi closed her eyes. “No.”

“But Kairi–”

“No, I was right,” she continued, ignoring his protest. “You’re not Sora. Because my Sora would never propose doing something ‘just the two of us’. My Sora wouldn’t forget _our_ Riku. And he wouldn’t abandon everyone else here.” Destiny’s Embrace flashed into Kairi’s outstretched hand. “If you think that wearing Sora’s face is going to stop me from defending myself, you’re dead wrong.”

Sora appeared stricken for a second, before breaking into a smile. It widened in a way completely unlike Sora’s smiles normally did, stretching his face in unfamiliar ways as light, hellish laugher slipped from his mouth. “Come on, Kairi, you know better than that. Why would I want to stop you from defending yourself? I want you to defend yourself. I want us to _clash_.” As he spoke, both his own aura and Kairi’s flared, and his eyes transitioned from blue to gold. “I’m not wearing Sora’s face. I _am_ Sora.” He shook his head, still smiling, and summoned his Keyblade. It wasn’t the Kingdom Key. “This process of supplanting another’s heart… it’s not typically like possession. Sometimes, it’s more… _amplification._ I’m not Xehanort. I’m Sora… just with the darker parts of my nature brought forwards.”

“And Xehanort’s vocabulary, I see,” Kairi deadpanned.

“You have no idea what darkness lurks here, deep in your precious Sora’s heart,” her opponent continued. “The things he wants to do to you… The way he thinks about his prize, about the precious damsel he’s saved so many times. There’s usually a reward attached to that, you know. And now, with this darkness… He… _I_ … can take what I _want_.” The leer on his face was dark and threatening.

The effect was somewhat ruined when Kairi burst into laughter. “Oh, _please_. Let me remind you, or maybe you didn’t know, I’ve _seen_ Sora’s darkness. You know how much he had? Just barely enough to turn him into a Shadow when he lost his heart. _Scraps_. That I turned back to normal.” She shook her head, chuckling. “Nice try. Nice try, but you’ve got Sora completely wrong. It’d be a bright day in the Realm of Darkness when he’d do anything more than blush and stammer at me, even if he had those kind of urges towards me. Sorry, there’s no circumstance in which my boyfriend would ever _top_.”

“Sora” snarled at her, which under other circumstances she might enjoy, but not in these. “And bearing that in mind,” she added, readying her stance, “if I need to spank him for being a bad boy… I’m damn well gonna.”

“Anyone else feeling oddly uncomfortable right now, or is it just me?” Ven asked. Roxas, Xion, and Vanitas exchanged looks, and shook their heads.

“I will admit it is not exactly… _pleasant_ , being within someone else,” Xehanort agreed.

“I wasn’t asking you!” Ven yelled.

“But it will be endured until the twelfth clash is complete,” Xehanort continued like Ven hadn’t spoken.

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Roxas challenged.

Xehanort regarded him, amused. “Is that so?” He shrugged. “Have it your way, then. I’m sure this will prove amusing.” Instead of raising his Keyblade, he brought up his other hand, and twitched his fingers.

The beach the four were standing on started to fold in on itself, the sand pouring down towards them from both sides. “What the fuck?” Vanitas yelled, as they took a step back. The sand continued to pour in.

“The remarkable thing about being inside another’s heart, particularly Sora’s, is the ease with which one can bend our perceived reality to one’s will,” Xehanort said, languidly.

“Is that so?” Xion said, mocking his tone from earlier. She put a hand on Roxas’s shoulder, and used him as a springboard to leap into the air. She spun in a circle, a gout of fire erupting from her Keyblade, turning the falling sand to glass before it could bury them.

Ven blinked. “When did you learn Fission Firaga?”

“I haven’t,” Xion said, smiling sweetly.

Ven’s eyes widened, and Vanitas started grinning. “Oh, I get it. It goes both ways, huh?” Roxas said, smirking.

“Looks like it does,” Xion said. They turned back to Xehanort, all preparing to strike.

“Very amusing indeed,” Xehanort said, smirking. He gestured, and the ground underneath them rose up, quickly enough to send them off balance. They were launched into the air, and Xehanort made a slow circle with his Keyblade.

Sharp shards of ice formed before him in a circle from the Blizzard spell, and they shot forwards towards the quartet. Before the ice could impact, Vanitas threw up a sphere of darkness around them. The shards slammed into the sphere, but none of them made it through. “Never thought I’d be glad to be surrounded by darkness,” Ven quipped.

“Ventus, shut the fuck up,” Vanitas grumbled.

The sphere opened and they descended upon Xehanort, Keyblades flashing. The power of overwhelming numerical advantage had served them well in the past, but not so much here. Despite fighting four-on-one, Xehanort was keeping up with them, his Keyblade moving almost faster than their eyes could follow, his Dark magic keeping them on their toes. And all the while, the dark Master moved not one step. No matter the direction, he defended himself with minimal effort.

Xion slid backwards, panting. The other three were winded, too, but Xehanort was unmoved.

“Are you quite done?” he asked them, insultingly condescending. “About what I expected from two auto-didacts, a weakling of a student, and a failure of an experiment. I suppose it is now… _my turn_.”

Despite her bold claims, Kairi was aware that her best option was to stay mobile, and as best she could, stay away from “Sora”. “Dodge” was the name of the game.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t take “Sora” in a fight. It was that she didn’t want to accidently contribute to forging the χ–blade.

She stepped backwards, neatly pirouetting to avoid the black and silver Keyblade. In a way, it might have been worse if it was Sora’s own Keyblade. As it was, Xehanort’s Keyblade (Kairi was belatedly realizing she had no idea what it was called) looked to have horribly sharp cutting edges on it.

“You will run out of energy at some point,” “Sora” pointed out.

“Oh, please,” Kairi said. “Everyone knows girls can keep going longer.”

“Sora” hissed again. “Oh, what, upset that I’m not taking this seriously?” Kairi taunted. “Get used to it.”

“You will never defeat me by dancing around and prattling on,” “Sora” growled.

“Defeat you?” Kairi asked, sweetly, with an innocent, questioning look on her face. “Was I trying to defeat you? I didn’t think I was.” She shook her head, stepping to the side out of the way of another strike. “No, I thought I was just waiting for Roxas, Ven, Van, and Xion to kick you out of him. I don’t have to win. You just have to lose.”

“Sora” smiled, humourlessly. It was those smiles that were making it very hard not to hit him herself. Sora had a face made for smiling. Yet somehow, every smile he gave just looked _wrong_ in all the creepiest ways. “You may be waiting a long time.”

“I have faith in them,” Kairi declared. “And if there’s anything I’m good at, it’s making things last as long as I want them to.”

“You’re very proud, aren’t you,” “Sora” sneered. “Full of hubris, I have little doubt.”

“I’m no more proud of myself than I should be,” Kairi said.

“Perhaps. But you are being proud before a fall,” “Sora” replied.

“What’s that supposed to–” was all Kairi managed to get out before Darkness lashed out of the dome wall behind her, striking her on the back of her shins. With a surprised yelp, she toppled backwards, landing flat on her back. “Sora” reared up over her, bringing his Keyblade down in a coup de grace.

She couldn’t help it.

It was instinct at that point.

Destiny’s Embrace came up, and blocked Xehanort’s Keyblade in its downward path.

Kairi’s aura flared.

“Sora’s” aura flared.

Both went out.

“Oh, _fuck_ ,” Kairi gasped.

“I thank you for your contribution,” “Sora” said. He was still pressing down on top of her.

Kairi shook her head, then put her disappointment in herself aside. “You know what this means, right?”

“Only one final clash is necessary to complete the forging of the true χ–blade,” “Sora” said.

“Well, true. But I mean more immediately,” Kairi replied. “It means… _I don’t have to hold back anymore_.” Her foot shot upwards, and she whispered a silent “sorry” to Sora as “Sora” fell over, writhing in pain.

Kairi had always had good aim.

“Now, then,” she said, standing back up. “I think we’ve reached a watershed moment. It’s time for you to _get the fuck out of my boyfriend, before I beat you out of him._ ”

Somehow, they were still losing ground, which, Ven reflected, was impressive insofar that they still had ground to lose. Xehanort’s assault was relentless. He hated to admit it, but there was a certain logic to Vanitas’s insistence that the fallen Master was unbeatable. If only there was a way they could turn the tides, something they could –

It hit him like a freight train that had forgotten to brake. It was a fantastically stupid, impossible idea, but here, in Sora’s heart, it just might be possible. “Vanitas!” he called. “I need you!”

“Fuck off with the heartwarming bullshit, Ventus, this is not the fucking time!” Vanitas growled, dodging a blast of Dark Thundaga by the skin of his teeth.

“No, I mean I need to talk to you!” Ven continued, narrowly avoiding his own bolt of lightning. “Roxas, Xion, I’m sorry about this, but can you two hold him off for a minute? I have an idea.”

Roxas and Xion glanced at each other, at Xehanort, and then settled on Ven. Xehanort seemed content to let them talk. “A minute, maybe,” Xion said.

“A minute and two seconds, absolutely not,” Roxas agreed. He frowned. “Wait… if we can do whatever we want in here, possible or not…” he trailed off, then passed Oathkeeper to his left hand. A ball of light blazed in his right palm, before resolving into a familiar shape.

“Wait, but that’s Oblivion,” Vanitas said, confused. “How the fuck are you–”

“Whatever I want,” Roxas said, smugly. Next to him, Xion had manifested her own Oathkeeper.

“This might even the odds a tiny bit,” she said. “We might be able to buy you an extra half-second.”

“We’ll need it. We’ll be right behind you, okay?” Ven said. Roxas and Xion nodded, and turned back to Xehanort as Ven pulled Vanitas behind an upended paopu tree.

“What? Make it quick, that’s my friends dying out there,” Vanitas ordered.

Ven beamed. “And I love that you feel that way. But, wait, no, listen,” he said as Vanitas made to stand back up. “We’re not going to be winning this fight.” 

“Fuck you we’re not going to win,” Vanitas shot back.

“Shut up and listen to me,” Ven snapped, and Vantias blinked, shocked at his tone. “We need to be stronger to beat him. We need something he can’t defeat.”

“Yeah, you happen to have something like that lying around? Cause I don’t,” Vanitas said, sarcastic.

“Well… actually, we do,” Ven said, “Both of us. Together.”

Vanitas stared at him. Ven continued. “Vanitas… we’re not two halves of each other anymore. We haven’t been for a long time. But… we were, once. And here, in Sora’s heart… even things that should be impossible can happen, if we believe they can.”

“Ventus…” Vanitas said, and there was no hostility or annoyance in his tone, only curiosity. “What are you saying?”

Ven took a deep breath, and extended a hand to Vanitas. “Vanitas… would you… _forge the χ–blade with me?_ ”

Vanitas stared at him. “Are… are you serious?” he stammered.

Ven nodded, and smiled. “Now or never,” he said.

“Well, if I had known it was this easy to convince you, things would’ve been a lot different way back when,” Vanitas said. Ven still hadn’t put down his hand.

“I dunno, I have no idea how you would have managed to make all this happen back then,” Ven said, smirking. Vanitas, to Ven’s delight, laughed, and took his brother’s hand.

There was a blast of light from behind the fallen paopu tree. “I really hope that’s a good sign,” Roxas muttered. The extra Keyblades weren’t exactly helping. They weren’t making things worse, but there was only so much “worse” things could be at the moment.

“Xehanort!” came two voices at once from across the beach.

Xehanort looked up from where he was holding off both of Xion’s Keyblades one-handed. His eyes widened. “That’s… _impossible_.” 

Before him stood Vanitas, Ventus… and a long, shining blade with a hilt made from two crossed Kingdom Keys. It wasn’t the _real_ χ–blade, of course, not with only one Light that wasn’t exclusively light, and one Darkness that wasn’t exclusively dark.

But here, in Sora’s heart, it didn’t matter.

“It makes sense to me now,” Vanitas said, conversationally. His right hand was holding the χ–blade by one grip, and Ventus’s left hand was holding it by the other. “Why it has two grips.” Together, they hefted the weapon and pointed it at Xehanort. “This is a power that was always meant to be _shared._ ”

“You could not have possibly forged the real χ–blade,” Xehanort said, the disbelief evident in his voice.

“No, but like you said, it’s amazing how reality can be bent to our will in here,” Ven said, grinning. Xehanort snarled, and rose into the air, shoving Xion aside as he turned to face the new threat. Ventus and Vanitas rose as well, and Roxas rushed over to where Xion had landed, helping her to her feet.

“You must realize that two holding it at once prevents you from using it as a sword,” Xehanort pointed out.

“Yeah, but… frankly, we’re more the stabbing sort of people,” Ven said. Vanitas’s mouth spread into what might be called a smile if you were an overly optimistic person.

Xehanort chuckled. “And what makes you think you’ll get close enough for that to be an option?”

A solid wall of darkness lanced out from Vanitas’s free hand, cutting off Xehanort to his right. The fallen Master blinked, tried to push his way through the wall, and failed. He swiveled to the right, attempting to move out of the way – and was pushed back by gale force winds coming from Ventus’s outstretched hand. Trapped between wind and darkness, Xehanort turned to glare at the two teens.

Ven had to give him this, even in this situation, there was no fear in his eyes.

With a yell, Vanitas and Ventus rocketed forwards, being pulled along by the χ–blade just as much as they were propelling it. Xehanort whipped No Name up to block their assault.

Which may have been more effective if his Keyblade wasn’t constructed with two parallel blades.

The tip of the χ–blade rammed right through the gap, catching Xehanort full in the chest. The old man gasped as the blade stuck in his torso; there was no blood, not here within Sora’s heart, but the damage was clear.

“I think it’s time for you to get out,” Ven said, as he and Vanitas lifted Xehanort’s form into the air.

“That, or just get fucked, you old bastard,” Vanitas hissed.

A blast of light burst from the χ–blade, sending Xehanort soaring skywards. Ven and Vanitas touched down just long enough to grab Xion and Roxas’s hands, and leapt after him.

“You done yet?” Kairi said, mocking, as “Sora” struggled to his feet. “Cause I can go all… hang on,” she said, muttering to herself. “I said that one already today, didn’t I?”

“Sora” just let out a choked growl. “That it?” Kairi asked. “No speech on how darkness is the true essence of the spleen or whatever?” She shook her head. If she was being honest, she was just as tired as “Sora” looked, though she was hiding it better.

“You’re still… all alone…” “Sora” hissed.

Kairi smirked. “No, no I’m not.” She held out her arms and hoped and prayed that her Princess powers had recharged just slightly enough for a minor bit of narrative convenience… and barring that, that the discolorations she was seeing in the dome of Darkness that surrounded them meant what she thought they did.

The dome shattered. Kairi beamed as Riku, Lea, Terra, Aqua, and everyone else stepped forwards, filling in behind her. “Kairi, you okay?” Riku asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Physically, yes, in terms of χ–blade forging, no,” Kairi said.

“Sorry we took so long,” Terra said. “Any word on Ven and the rest?” Yen Sid had remained several feet back, watching over Ven, Vanitas, Roxas, and Xion’s bodies.

“Not yet,” Kairi said, but as she spoke, a curious change seemed to come over “Sora”.

He dropped his Keyblade, which disappeared, and staggered backwards a step. “No… that’s… impossible…” he seemed to stammer, then threw his arms back and screamed.

Five bright white lights burst from his chest, and he collapsed. One of them shot back towards the rubble staircase Master Xehanort had used, and resolved itself into his body, dazed.

Four other lights shot towards the unconscious bodies, and Roxas, Xion, Ventus, and Vanitas all sat up, blinking, trying to figure out where they were.

“Sora!” Kairi and Riku said, both rushing to his side, followed closely by Donald and Goofy.

From the centre of his chest, a sixth light appeared, and shot skywards.

“Wait…” Riku said. “Was… was that…?”

“Sora?!” Kairi asked, shaking him. “Sora! No, no, _please_ , no!”

There was no response.

“SORAAAAAAA!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?  
> If I had said I promise not to kill _Sora specifically_ offscreen, y'all would've gotten suspicious.  
> And, honestly, I'm kind of mad at Nomura. I thought I was _safe!_ I thought, "Sure, canon might kill Sora once for shock value, but there's no way they're going to kill him _twice!_ "  
> Ha ha. Ha.  
> -_-  
> Let's talk Xehanort. I would like to write a whole long essay, but I'm already eyeing the word count, so this is probably going to have to be more compressed than I'd like. Either way:  
> "A shining world, pure and bright" is something of a mistranslation. The phrase I used, "pure and blank", is apparently closer to the Japanese text. What Xehanort was actually trying to do was hit the reset button for the world; he had convinced himself both that it needed to be done, and that he was the one to do it. And that's why canon in KH3 is trying to play him as a misguided good guy.  
> This, of course, is where the Thanos comparison that people make comes from, and while I'd love to get into that, it doesn't really serve the point, and I'm under the word count gun. :P But it is a similar setup. Two people who have deluded themselves into thinking drastic, unthinkable action is right and necessary. Two people whose ideas are easily torn to shreds with the slightest bit of critical thought.  
> Two people whose ideas are never torn to those shreds in canon because none of the "good guys" actually gives that slight bit of critical thought.  
> Thanos is, again, another conversation, but: Xehanort. There is one very simple way to counter his ideals: No, no the world does not need to be reset. That's it. That's the entire counter. Yes, there is darkness in the world, but there's light, too. Good with the bad. And most importantly, there is _life_ , that deserves to keep on living. But for some reason, canon insists on Sora countering a different aspect: That it should be Xehanort who pushes the button. "Yes, maybe untold trillions of people need to die because Darkness is Bad," Sora _agrees_ , "but you're not the one who should be killing them, Xehanort!"  
> You understand why I had issues with this. In the quest to make Xehanort seem like a well-intentioned extremist, they had Sora agree with the premise that the reset button needs to be hit.  
> And I took exception to that.  
> As for why it's Naminé who first speaks up against this, well. Let's not forget who the real protagonist of this story is, right? ;)  
> One of the earliest ideas I had for this series - you might even think of it as "concept art" - was the mental image of Ven and Van bursting out of Sora's chest, with Xehanort impaled on the χ–blade they're both holding. It bothers me that no one who wields it ever holds it by the actual grips: this is my idea of why it has two. And yes, I've been saving Van and Ven thinking of each other as "brothers" for this exact moment.  
> Ah, Soranort. I thought that it would be a dumb idea for canon to do, since Xehanort's big on learning from his mistakes, and he'd already failed at Norting Sora once, but this pretty clearly isn't canon. :P And he only does it as a makeshift Plan B; Sora could've gone on the mission to get Terra and Isa back and been perfectly safe (aside from the narrative reasons why he couldn't, obviously). And it gave me one final one-on-one fight for Kairi, to show that after all this, she's back on top of her game; a bit more haggard, a bit wiser, but back to the confidence level she had before Dooku shattered it. I've said it before, I'll say it again: Kairi tops.  
> And on that note, one important thing I need to point out. What happened to Sora had nothing to do with anything Kairi, Xehanort, or Roxas et al did; his heart was ejected from his body alongside Xehanort's and Roxas's party's simply by accident. It wasn't the fault of anyone present.  
> So where do we go from here? Simple.  
> We follow Sora, and see what he gets up to.  
> Until next time.


	18. Sora

There’s a certain ambiance to stillness.

There’s a certain feeling to being alone in an unfamiliar place, that you’re pretty sure you’re supposed to be in, but you have no way of knowing if you’re actually where you should be.

There’s a certain loudness to dead silence.

Sora blinked. He wasn’t quite sure where he was, and he also wasn’t quite sure he was somewhere he was supposed to be.

The room he was standing in was large, and a soft grey colour. “Hello?” he called, and his voice didn’t echo. It sounded like he was standing in a small closet, not a large open space.

He frowned. Despite the clear area around him, it _felt_ like he was standing in a small closet, too. Hesitantly, he stretched his arm out.

He encountered no resistance. “Is anyone there?” he asked. Still, his voice didn’t echo. Shrugging, he started walking.

His footsteps didn’t echo in the room, either. It was much, much too quiet for a room that size.

It was almost a relief when he came to an open door frame in the wall. Cautiously, he knocked on the frame. “Anyone there?”

There continued to be no response.

“Okay, then,” Sora said, and stepped through the aperture.

He was immediately overcome by the sensation of vertigo, as if his world had been flipped upside down and shaken for its lunch money. He took a couple stumbling steps forwards, and his balance returned. “Well that was weird,” he muttered, frowning. “I… guess this is all weird, though.” The last thing he remembered was taking Xehanort’s heart to the chest, then some hazy memories of Kairi saying a bunch of things he’d be blushing over in better circumstances while either dodging him or fighting him… then this.

“That’s probably not a good thing,” he sighed. “I hope everyone’s okay.” Shaking himself out of his dour thoughts, he took a look around the new room.

Stretching out before him, as far as he could see, were framed pictures.

“What are these?” he asked, but of course no response was forthcoming. He looked back at the way he’d come, and sure enough, he seemed to have entered through another portrait frame. However, the frame behind him was much smaller than the doorway he’d walked through.

“Am I in Wonderland again?” he mused to himself. “I don’t think have time for all that.”

With nowhere to go but forwards, he started walking again, taking a look at the pictures on the walls as he went. “Why are they all…?” He stopped.

It was a little unsettling, Sora reflected. And that might have been an understatement.

All the pictures were either of himself, or of people he recognized. And they were all moving.

There was Riku watching Lea and Kairi as they sparred on the play island’s beach, Lea still wearing his Organization coat and holding his Keyblade incorrectly. There was Ventus chasing after what looked like a five or six-year-old Aqua and Terra, while Vanitas stood back laughing his ass off. There was Maleficent and Pete standing on a snowfield, flanked by a hulking man in ancient, horned armour. There was Aqua and Vanitas, both wearing dark suits, and sitting together in a restaurant as Aqua watched Vanitas eat a hamburger. There was Even, Aeleus, and Dilan, although Sora figured that given the Organization coats they were actually Vexen, Lexaeus, and Xaldin, sitting in what looked like a gummi ship, surrounded by Tupperware containers. There was Vanitas and Ventus on the Destiny Islands, drilling holes in thalassa shells with something Sora couldn’t make out. There was Roxas, Xion, and Lea in weird armour, sitting on the side of a cliff at sunset with a dragon-like Heartless curled up behind them. There was Roxas lit by the lights of an urban cityscape, wearing an outfit that left far too little to the imagination. There was Vanitas being presented with a Land of Departure emblem by Master Eraqus as Terra, Ven, and Aqua looked on in celebration.

Odd as these were, he didn’t think there was anything he could do about it beside keep moving on, but one picture in particular grabbed his attention. It was himself, Kairi, and Riku, around the ages they’d been back when the Destiny Islands had fallen to Darkness, all with Keyblades drawn facing some sort of threat from outside the field of view… but instead of their normal Keyblades, Riku had the Kingdom Key, Kairi had King Mickey’s Star Seeker, and Sora himself had –

“Why do I have Xehanort’s Keyblade?” Sora mused to himself. He looked closely, but his eyes, in the picture, were still his normal blue. “Weird.”

Still, there was no reason to dwell on it. With a sigh, and the certain knowledge that answers would not be forthcoming, he pressed on.

The corridor he was following was gently rounded, and as he followed it around the curve, he came to a crossroads. On one side was an actual door, and across from it stood a picture frame much larger and more ornate than any of the others. Sora tilted his head, frowning. The picture was also moving, slowly. It showed himself and Kairi, sitting on the bent-over paopu tree on the Destiny Islands, at sundown. As he watched, a single tear rolled down Kairi’s cheek, and the image of Sora gradually faded away.

“Huh,” Sora said. “Glad _that_ didn’t happen.” He turned to the door and stepped through.

This door remained a door once he was through it, but the room on the other side was still just as bizarre. It was shaped like a semicircle, and there were more doors stretching out to either side of him – and above and below him, as well. The floor was glass, or some other transparent material, and he could see more doors stretching into infinity below him. “Huh,” Sora muttered. He turned back to the door he’d come through.

His door, and from what he could tell, his door alone, had a stylized heart stenciled on it, composed from one line that didn’t quite connect, instead continuing to finish in two curls. He looked to one of the doors next to his, which had stenciled on it what looked to Sora like a broken crescent moon. The door on the other side seemed to have some kind of arrowhead design; Sora didn’t recognize either of them.

The doors extended along the length of the crescent, but stopped when they hit the straight wall. That wall had only one door in it. It had no symbol. And it was ajar.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sora walked over and stepped through.

He was momentarily blinded by a surge of bright light. When his eyes adjusted, he saw a room filled with more picture frames, although these seemed to function more like television screens. He didn’t recognize anyone being displayed there, but that mostly slipped past his attention.

His full focus was on the person kneeling in the middle of the room. Feminine, humanoid, but probably not human. He could tell from the fact that she was ridiculously tall (taller, in fact, he noted on a subconscious level, than could comfortably fit through the doors he’d passed through), and also the fact that rather than skin, her body was made up of ivory and metallic plates, and sections of clockwork gears. She was wearing what looked to Sora like a set of armour, complete with a frame around her face as a helmet that her hair, the colour of polished brass and possibly just as solid, passed through. There was a giant hole in her breastplate, right where her heart should have been, and Sora could see right through it. She also had two gigantic white wings that at least appeared to be actual feathers.

Your first reaction upon seeing a giant like this might be fear, or trepidation. You may recall stories of bones being ground for bread, or harps rescued via beanstalk, and seek to avoid attention. While Sora would normally act with caution before knowing if such a being was friendly, in this case there were extenuating circumstances.

The woman was crying.

Which meant that Sora ignored every single oddity of her appearance, every instinct to be careful, every old story that usually ends in carnage, and instead walked up and gently said, “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Because that’s simply the kind of person he was.

The woman seemed to start, and brought her face up from where it had been clutched in her hands to look at him.

Her eye sockets were empty.

But Sora got the sense she could still see him.

Especially when she addressed him by name.

“Sora?” she asked, in a voice at once ethereal and mournful, conveying infinite majesty and infinite sadness. “Sora, of the Destiny Islands?”

“Yes?” Sora said, a little surprised to find she knew his name; maybe they had a friend in common or something. “Are you okay?”

The woman blinked, and it was his concern for her that kept Sora from registering how creepy it looked to see eyelids descend over empty sockets. “No. But that is none of your concern, Sora of the Destiny Islands. What are you doing here?”

“I… wanted to ask you that, actually,” Sora said. “I don’t know where I am. I just kinda… woke up here.” He frowned. “Are you sure I can’t help with whatever’s bothering you? Oh, and I’m sorry, I didn’t ask. What’s your name?”

The woman blinked again, still confused. “You don’t know where…? But you’re supposed to be in…” Slowly, she reached out a hand, and with her index finger, gently tapped Sora on the head. “Oh, I see. You’re not _that_ Sora. You’re a different one.”

“A… different one?” Sora asked, confused.

The woman removed her hand. “It’s not something you need to be concerned about. Have you ever heard the name Yozora?”

“No, should I have?” Sora asked. “Is that _your_ name?” he added.

The woman shook her head. “No, you should have no reason to know it, and you never will. Your path diverged from that one a long time ago. Longer than you know. And no, it’s not my name. My name is…” she seemed hesitant. “My name is Etro.”

“Oh, okay. Nice to meet you, Etro,” Sora said, smiling and stretching his arms over his head.

Etro still looked a little confused. “You don’t know who I am, do you, Sora.”

“No, I don’t. If I should, I’m sorry,” Sora said.

Etro shook her head. “You shouldn’t, actually, but it was possible I might have been mentioned… although, not to you, now that I think about it. If you had learned of me, I would have seen it.”

“Seen it?” Sora asked.

Etro waved her hand at the screens, though she seemed to avoid looking directly at them. “I see everything. Everyone. Everyone that I have the charge of. And that tangentially includes you; at least, _this_ version of you. I’ve been watching your adventures with your friends since you first began traveling with Donald Duck and George Goof. And everyone else, as well.”

“Why have you been–?” Sora started to ask, but he cut himself off as he realized there was a much more important question at hand. “Wait, Goofy’s first name is _George?_ ”

This was apparently the right question to ask, as despite the tears still slipping down her cheeks, Etro lifted a hand to her mouth, and stifled a giggle. “Yes, yes it is. Although he prefers the nickname, I believe.” Her smile faltered. “As for why I’ve been watching you… all of you… I have no choice. It’s my job.” She took a deep breath. “Sora…

“I am the Goddess of Death.”

Sora’s eyes slowly widened. “Oh. So… am I…?”

“Dead?” Etro finished. “Yes, I’m afraid so. However, you… _this_ you… is not supposed to be here at this time.”

“What do you mean?” Sora asked. “I’m not supposed to be dead?”

Etro shook her head. “You understand my confusion. However, this is not some grand problem. Since it isn’t your time, I can return you to the world of the living without fear of upsetting the balance. Not all things can be that simple,” she added, in an undertone, glancing at the biggest screen and just barely concealing a wince.

Sora looked closer at the biggest screen. On it, a woman with rose gold hair and armour similar to Etro’s was engaged in a duel with a tall, purple-haired man in form-fitting purple and black armour. He recognized neither of them. “What’s going on there?” he asked.

Etro flinched. “…the results of my failure,” she mumbled.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sora asked.

Etro stared at him. Sora didn’t question how he could tell that when the metallic goddess was missing her eyes. “It really is none of your concern,” she said, not dismissing that concern, rather assuring him that he needn’t worry.

Sora wasn’t having it. “Whatever happened, it’s hurting you. I don’t like seeing people hurt, so it _is_ my concern,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding.

Etro sighed, and smiled ruefully. “No wonder you are so beloved,” she murmured. She sighed again, and looked down at her hands. “It’s a long and complicated story,” she said. “When I was first created, my… I suppose the term you would use is ‘father’, but that’s not quite right… ‘creator’ is more accurate… he rejected me. He had accidentally made me in the image of his own ‘mother’, whom he had deposed and sent to the world of the dead to rot. He had created me and my siblings to destroy her utterly, because he believed that the fate of all living things to die was a curse she had laid. This was untrue; the balance between life and death is a delicate one, but a natural one. But my father was… is… was… the tenses are difficult… not exactly one to listen to any other than himself.

“Because of my form, he grew to fear me, and although he gave my siblings great powers of creation, he gave me… nothing. Not even a purpose. While my siblings created a world for themselves, creations to find a door between the realms of life and death… I had nothing. And so I cast myself into the realm of the dead.”

“You… died,” Sora whispered.

“I made the attempt,” Etro said, sadly. “But things did not go as I planned. I had… only wanted my creator’s attention. Then again… so did Pulse and Lindzei. Our father cast himself into crystal sleep to await the day that the door between the worlds of the living and the dead would be awakened. In a sense we were all… abandoned. But Pulse and Lindzei had their own creations, lesser gods in their own image. I could not create, I had… nothing. No one. And so… I rent my flesh and cast myself out.”

“I’m sorry,” Sora said, but Etro shook her head.

“Do not be. Two great things happened from that choice. The first was… my arrival here.”

Sora frowned. “Isn’t this the realm of the dead?” He’d been to Olympus’s Realm of the Dead, and although this was much less dreary, there was something he found even more unsettling about it.

“No,” Etro said, “Which is why I know your being here is not where your story ends. This is… think of it as a world between. A place hanging between life and death. There is no time here, no true life, but no true death, in a sense. The legends of the people of the world of the living call this place ‘Valhalla’.”

“Huh,” Sora said, still frowning. “Why was arriving here a good thing?”

Etro smiled. It was small, but it was a smile. “Here I met my grandmother.”

Sora’s eyebrows rose. “Your grandmother… the person your father banished?”

“Yes,” Etro said. “The attempts made by my father Bhunivelze to reach the realm of the dead, where he wrongly believed my grandmother to be, created a festering chaos that pervades Valhalla. Mwynn had almost been consumed by the chaos in this realm, but she lingered just long enough to give me the purpose I so desired. She charged me with protecting the balance between life and death.”

“And that’s why you’re the Goddess of Death?” Sora asked.

Etro nodded. “And when I looked back at the world of the living, I made a startling discovery. After my perceived death, Lindzei had taken my body and blood and used them to create… different beings. Smaller, more limited than my siblings and their children, but possessed of limitless potential. Not bound by a purpose. And so I… took tiny shards of the chaos within this realm, and gave them to my children.” As she spoke, she held out a hand to Sora.

Within her palm was a tiny, crystalline red light, in a very familiar shape.

“Hearts?” Sora asked, incredulous. “You gave them… hearts?”

Etro nodded, withdrawing her hand. “Yes and no. In this world, what you know as hearts are more properly known as ‘souls’. I had no hand in their creation. And my influence only extends as far as my own children, not beyond the bounds of this shard of the original World. But these tiny hearts of chaos… they allow my children to follow whatever path they want. When they die, their souls and hearts come back to me, and I disentangle them. I return the soul to the world, to be born again with a new heart, and allow the old heart to move on to its rest.”

Sora nodded. It wasn’t too dissimilar to how he understood Kingdom Hearts as working, if on a smaller scale and with the terms reversed. “So… This doesn’t explain to me why you’re so upset.”

Etro flinched again. “I… I love my children more than anything,” she said. “I… tried my best to ease their burdens… to give them what help I could, but…” she sighed. “I gave the first of my children my Eyes. My intent was to allow her to see the future to better guide her people, but… my power was too much for a mortal body. She…died. I tried to make it right, to allow her to pass on, but… my power prevented that. So instead… I took her soul, and made it live again, with a new heart.”

“Wasn’t that what you normally do?” Sora asked, confused.

Etro shook her head. “There were… complications. She still had possession of my Eyes. She could still see the future… but she herself could never live to experience it, a lifetime cut short to a scant decade and a half.” Fresh tears flowed down her face as she looked at Sora. “Countless individuals robbed of a full life because they had the misfortune to be born with the soul I tried to help.

“And it did not end there.

“In my pity, I also attempted to empower a guardian for her, to watch over her until the end of time. I gave a strong young warrior my own Heart. And with it, he will never die.”

“I… can already guess how that went,” Sora said, sheepishly.

Etro nodded, stifling a sob. “He has lost the girl he loves countless times. And eventually, there will be no humans left. Him alone in the ruins of a dead world. To avert that fate… he seeks to end time itself.”

“How can he do that?” Sora asked, puzzled and horrified all at once.

“Simple,” Etro said, turning back to the large screen. “He merely needs to kill me.”

Suddenly the relevance of the screen clicked for Sora. “That’s happening right now,” he said in realization, indicating the screen. “That’s happening right outside.”

Etro nodded. “Caius of the Ballads has rejected his role as a guardian, and has come to end time itself. Do not bother, Sora,” she said, seeing the way he was tensing. “It is not your fight to fight. You have your own worlds to attend to. And I have a knight.” There was a sorrowful note in Etro’s voice.

“The pink-haired lady there?” Sora asked. He frowned. “This sounds like another thing that’s bothering you.”

Etro’s lip quivered, and she nodded. “Her trials had all been finished… she had been reunited with her family, saved countless lives… and I ripped her away from that. I was… angry. In the name of saving the majority, she had taken a large number of lives her own. But… in the end, she fought, unknowingly, to preserve the balance. To end the plots of my siblings to bring back our father. And I… I could not stop myself from helping her, and her friends. From giving them hope when all was truly lost. I made those changes, and those very changes caused the time paradoxes that allowed Caius of the Ballads to make his way here. So in desperation, I asked this soldier, who had already given so much and more than earned her rest, to be my champion. To be my knight and defend me. And Claire Farron, the woman who named herself Lightning, said _yes_.”

The name “Lightning Farron” poked at something in Sora’s memory, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. “And that was not all,” Etro continued, miserable. “While she could hold off Caius’s assault here, the paradoxes throughout time needed to be resolved. So I… I gave my Eyes once again, to another girl. Lightning’s own sister, Serah Farron. She is… already in her second decade of life. She will… not long outlive my ‘gift’.”

Sora was silent for a moment. “And… that’s why you’re crying? Because every time you try to help, something goes wrong?”

“Not just that,” Etro murmured. “I can see the future of this world, Sora. My time… is nearing an end.”

“What do you mean?” Sora asked.

“Despite everything, despite everything Lightning and Serah are both sacrificing, despite the wishes and desires of my Paddra Nsu Yeul and the boy who loves her last incarnation… Caius will win. I will die. And time will come to an end. Nothing they are doing… matters.” Tears flowed down Etro’s cheeks, faster now. “What a selfish fool I am. What a fool, to destroy lives for _nothing_.”

“…it’s not for nothing,” Sora said.

“Sora, I can see the future,” Etro said, with infinite patience.

“Can you see past your own death?” Sora asked.

This brought Etro up short. “I’m sorry?”

“Can you see what’s going to happen after you’ve passed on?” Sora asked.

Etro blinked. “No, but… after I die, time dies with me. And the world…”

“That doesn’t mean the people will die with it,” Sora said. “It wouldn’t be the first time a world has died and its people survived. You said yourself, we have infinite possibilities. We make our own destiny.

“So, yeah, maybe everything these sisters and everyone else is fighting for won’t come out in their favour. But… from the way you describe your children, it seems to me like they won’t be satisfied with just letting it happen. They sound like the type of people who will fight to the bitter end, no matter what.”

“But… they’re doomed,” Etro said, frowning.

“Maybe,” Sora said. “But… it hurts more, to see something horrible happen and know that you didn’t do anything about it. If you do all you can, do everything right, and still fail… well, then at least you can rest easy knowing you did your best.”

Etro was silent. “That said,” Sora continued, “I don’t think they’re really doomed. No matter what, there’s always a way. There’s always a light of hope, even in the deepest darkness of despair. And I think all these people believe it, too.”

Etro nodded. “Sora… I thank you. But it is time for you to return home.”

“How are you feeling?” Sora asked, ignoring her.

Etro gave a rueful smile. “It is… novel, to have a human be worried for me. And… you may not be as unique in your concern as I believed.” She looked back at the screen depicting the pink and purple duelists, and this time, the look on her face was not as mournful.

This time, there was a hint of pride.

“Safe travels, Sora,” Etro said, and placed her index finger back on his head. “And tell Kairi, the two of you did a wonderful job with my prophecy.”

Sora’s eyes widened. “Wait, you mean that was _yo_ –”

The last syllable of Sora’s name had barely faded from Kairi’s raw throat when a single bright light shot down from the heavens and impacted Sora’s body in the chest. He sat up, taking a deep breath, filling lungs that had been empty a moment previously. “Hey, everyone, sorry to worry you, but I’m–” he started.

And that was all he had time for before Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Goofy had crushed him in a massive bear hug. “Sora!” Kairi gushed, tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t _scare_ us like that,” Riku agreed, crying just as hard, but at least they were tears of joy.

“What happened, are you all right?” Kairi asked, her voice muffled against Sora’s collarbone.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m right here,” Sora said, patting the back of her head and wrapping an arm around Riku.

“Please stop almost dying,” Riku said, his voice equally muffled against the back of Sora’s head.

“I’ll do my best,” Sora promised. “What happened while I was out?” He noticed Kairi’s lack of an aura. “Oh, no, did we–?”

“Yeah,” she muttered, and Sora winced.

“Don’t matter, the important thing is that you’re all okay,” Goofy cut in.

“He’s right. Ven still hasn’t clashed, as long as we keep him away from the old man, we should be good,” Lea said. The rest had gathered around them as Sora, Riku, and Kairi got back to their feet.

“Um… guys?” Naminé said.

“What’s wrong, Naminé?” Aqua asked.

Naminé gestured towards Master Xehanort, who was likewise rising to his feet. “Is it just me, or is his aura gone?”

“No, my dear, it is not just you,” Master Xehanort said, with a wide smile. “Nor is it just _me_.” He gestured towards the back of their group.

All eyes turned to Ventus.

All eyes turned to Ventus and noticed his complete lack of an aura.

“You see,” Master Xehanort said, languidly, “Though it might have been within Sora’s body… a clash is still a clash. Which means..!” He raised a hand to the heavens… and to the now complete χ–blade that hung within them.

All were silent with the exception of Ventus, who managed to perfectly sum up how everyone was feeling.

“Oh, _fuck_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, Ven. Language.  
> Like I've said, this was planned long before KH3 came out - so long, in fact, that the "wow, glad that never happened" was originally going to be Aqua turning around to reveal she's been "Norted". Once KH3 had come out, I altered the plan because I thought alluding to its ending would hurt you all more. :3c  
> Yes, like that implies, the fact that the room with the pictures sounds a little bit like the attribute selection sequence in KH3 is an unintended coincidence; insofar as I wasn't intending to take inspiration from it, but I might have unconsciously when I finally went to write this down. However, instead of moments from earlier in the series, it's looks into parallel worlds.  
> In other words, they're other people's fics.  
> Which means I have crediting to do! In order, we have: [Affecting Eternity,](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1009038) by Cigna_hime, [A Small Problem](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1067507/chapters/2141541), by Arcawolf, [Remember the Tides](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9580894/1/Remember-the-Tides), by Regiss (or, potentially the scene in question is from it's sequel, The Tides Go Out; I read them both back to back and honestly don't recall which one the scene I'm alluding to was in), [Cast A Shadow](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2801513/chapters/6288566), by Taliax, [Those Lacking Spines](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16498976/chapters/38641982), by Gexegee, [Heart Is Where The Home Is](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13151775/chapters/30079944), by olivemeister, [How To Train Your Heartless](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17656550/chapters/41639159), by MariaAshby64, Heart in the Shell, by HouseofSannae, and [(i don't need you to) Worry for Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/501160/chapters/879821), also by Cigna_hime. One of those fics might not actually exist yet, but give me time. ;) (And, side note, if one of the authors in question should see this and would like me to remove the reference to their work, please say so, I would be more than willing to oblige). And as for the one that's called out... :3c  
> Hello, my name is HouseofSannae and I adore the Fabula Nova Crystalis. For those of you who were guessing Caius Ballad as a Nort, this is why he was busy: FFXIII-2 is happening as we speak. Ish. Can a time travel story really be happening "concurrently" to anything? Regardless, this is all information about the mythology of FFXIII that honestly, you don't really need to know about. ^^; But, the easiest way to get restored to life is to be kind to the goddess of Death. Not that Sora isn't kind to everyone (who deserves it), but he really is the kind of person who would offer to help someone he'd just met, if they were hurting.  
> Between writing this chapter and posting it, I finally managed to read the interstitial FFXIII novels. Apparently Etro doesn't actually _have_ a corporeal form, but it's easier to sympathize with a giant woman than a beam of light. A trope I love, for reasons I don't fully understand, is that of "deity tries to help out of goodwill but keeps accidentally making everything worse". I love poor Etro; she's trying her best, even if her best keeps fucking things up.  
> I think that's everything about the chapter. In other news, I finished FFX last week. As of yet I haven't decided whether I'm going to start up FFX-2 this weekend (I have the HD Remaster) or if I want to play something else for a bit, but I'll get to it eventually. Pid e jano silr ahzuoat dra Al Bhed myhkiyka.  
> Next week... _one last fight_.  
>  _It's χ–blade time, sudranvilganc_.


	19. A Small Part Of Something Greater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Venit aevus ille_   
>  _Oh Messiah_   
>  _Oh Messiah..._

“The χ–blade…” Yen Sid began.

“Has been _forged_ ,” Master Xehanort finished with a wide smile. “Which means it is _time_.”

“Don’t just sit there!” Lea yelled. “Stop him before he–” Before Lea could finish speaking, Master Xehanort had already disappeared from his position, reappearing before the completed χ–blade, and taking it in his hand. “Oh, son of a _bitch_.”

“Please mind your language,” Master Xehanort admonished. “There are _children_ present.” He vanished from his position yet again and reappeared at the top of the wall. “I thank you for your cooperation in this matter. All that remains is for Kingdom Hearts to be summoned.” He turned his back to them, and the blast of Dark Firaga that Vanitas blasted at him dissipated harmlessly against a barrier. “However, your involvement is no longer necessary.” A Dark Corridor opened, and Master Xehanort stepped through it, and vanished.

“Well _fuck_ ,” Kairi said, wrapping her arms around herself. “What now?”

“Where’s he going?” Isa asked the younger Xehanort.

Xehanort pointed to the top of the mountain. “Highest point. As close as he’ll be able to be to Kingdom Hearts when it arrives.” The defeat in his tone was entirely evident.

“There must be something we can do,” Sora said. “We’ve come too far to give up here.”

“Sora’s right,” Aqua said. “What does he still have left to do?”

“Await the arrival of Kingdom Hearts, then use the power of the χ–blade to take control and remake the World as he sees fit,” Xehanort said. “There’s nothing we can do.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Xion said. They all turned to look at her. “There’s some wiggle room there. If we can stop him from using the χ–blade on Kingdom Hearts, he won’t be able to remake the worlds.”

“How, though?” Terra asked, not criticising, just furthering the discussion. “What can we do against that kind of power?”

“We can’t exactly make our own χ–blade this time,” Vanitas muttered.

“This time?” Lea asked, but Vanitas waved his hand to indicate it was a story for another day.

“Gosh, fellas. I don’t think that any of us on our own could stand up against him,” Mickey said, sadly.

“Not by ourselves, of course, but all of us together?” Riku asked.

Isa shook his head. “Even if we all attacked at once, he would likely be able to fend us off and eliminate us one by one. And I would point out that he no longer needs any of us alive,” he added, grimly.

Sora had a hand to his chin. “Huh… ‘Together’… Wait!”

“You have some kind of idea?” Donald asked him.

“We can fight him, if we all do it together!” Sora declared.

Vanitas rolled his eyes. “I’m guessing your ears got damaged? Isa _just said_ that won’t work.”

Sora shook his head. “No, he said that attacking as a group wouldn’t work. But what if it wasn’t a group? What if it was all of us together, _as one_?”

“I don’t follow,” Roxas said. “What are you talking about?” But Yen Sid had an alarmed look on his face.

“Sora,” he said. “Are you proposing…?”

Sora nodded. “Drive Forms. Or, just one Drive Form. All of us. Together.”

“Are you sure?” Riku asked. “Last time you did that, you went Anti-Form. Are you sure that’s not going to happen again?”

“Positive,” Sora said. “The next one after an Anti-Form always works, guaranteed. I’ve been saving it on purpose, just in case.”

“What kind of strain is that going to put on you, though?” Kairi asked.

Sora put a hand on his chest. “Nothing I can’t take, I promise,” he said. “I’m not planning on dying today. Er, _again_ today.”

Yen Sid was considering it. “The risk is considerable.”

“Not as considerable as the risk if we don’t do anything,” Aqua pointed out. “I’m willing to try it.”

There was a murmur of general agreement, even from Vanitas, and Yen Sid relented. “Then if we all are willing, let it be so.”

“All right,” Sora said, beaming. “Join hands, everybody!”

Sora held out his hand, and Riku took it, giving his other hand to Kairi, who gave hers to Naminé, who took Lea’s, who took Isa’s, who took Xion’s, who took Roxas’s, who took Vanitas’s, who took Aqua’s, who took Ven’s, who took Terra’s, who took Yen Sid’s, who took Donald’s, who took Daisy’s, who took Minnie’s, who took Mickey’s, who took Oswald’s, who took Goofy’s. Goofy and Sora both turned, and reached out their free hands to Xehanort.

“You can’t be serious,” Xehanort replied.

“You said you wanted to try to be different,” Sora replied. “To reject the path that the older you wound up taking. If that’s true, it can start here and now.”

“Are you sure, Sora?” Roxas asked. From the way other people shifted uneasily, it was a common concern.

Sora nodded. “I’m sure that we’ll be worse off if we don’t have his help. Every little bit counts.”

Xehanort considered this, and slowly took the proffered hands, joining the circle.

“All right. Hang on, everyone. I’ve never done this with so many people, I’m not quite sure what’s going to happen,” Sora said.

“Is it too late to back out,” Vanitas deadpanned, and Aqua and Roxas both elbowed him.

Sora took a deep breath, and activated the Drive Form.

Xehanort stood at the top of the highest peak, gazing upon the approaching glory of Kingdom Hearts. After so long, the moment he had prepared for was finally here.

He was beyond concerns, beyond doubts. He had followed the path he had charted, each careful step along the byway, and had now reached the end.

If he had one regret, it was that everything that had led up to this point, every life spent, every piece moved, would not be able to know the glory they had contributed to; not even Xehanort himself, if he had surmised correctly. All those moments would be lost, like tears in rain. But he had made his peace with that.

“Time to end this,” he murmured to himself.

A bright flash of light lit up the world behind him, and he turned, surprised.

A solitary form floated up through the air towards him. It was Sora, but in a way Xehanort had never seen before.

His clothes were bright gold, patterned with silver. In his right hand was his normal Kingdom Key, but in his left was Mickey’s Kingdom Key D. Circling behind his back was a large wheel of seventeen other weapons, mostly Keyblades, but interspersed with a shield, stave, war hammer, paintbrush, and claymore. On his head was a golden tiara, and his hair had been shot through with gold as well.

Sora turned, pointing the Keyblade in his right hand at the wielder of the χ–blade. “ _Xehanort_ ,” he said, and there was the echo of other voices within his.

The sheer power coming off of him was… intriguing. “Sora?” Xehanort replied. “What foolish grasp do you hope to make now?” Smirking, he saw the form of Kingdom Hearts settle into place behind him. “It matters not. The fated time is at hand.” So saying, he turned, and raised the χ–blade.

A beam of light shot from the χ–blade, heading straight for the centre of Kingdom Hearts.

It never arrived.

There was a loud shrieking crash as the beam was deflected. “What?” Xehanort asked, shocked. Faster than he had expected, Sora had moved from his starting position, and taken up a defensive stance between Xehanort and Kingdom Hearts. “ _I see_ ,” he said, seemingly surprised himself. “ _I think we could call this… Ultima Form. Yeah, that sounds good._ ” He beamed to himself, momentarily distracted.

Xehanort’s eyes narrowed. “So, you have taken the hearts of your friends within yourself. A gallant stratagem, _boy_ , but too little and too late. You will not be able to overcome the power of the χ–blade.”

Sora shook his head. “ _You just don’t get it, do you? We don’t_ have _to overcome you. We don’t have to beat you. We just have to_ stall _you._ ” He shifted his stance, planting himself firmly on thin air. “ _We will not let you past us._ ”

“Stall?” Xehanort asked. “For how long? Your containment of your friends’ hearts cannot last forever.”

“ _We can last as long as we need to_ ,” Sora said. “ _You can probably overwhelm us… but we’ll hold this line until the bitter end._ ”

Xehanort bared his teeth in a grin. “Then let us see how far your power truly lasts.”

_No, Sora, the line is “You shall not pass!”_

“Kairi, really not the time,” Sora muttered to himself and also to the people within him. To be honest, he had worried that it wouldn’t work, that it was too many hearts to be placed inside one body. But on the other hand, his body was used to it.

_Eyes up, he’s attacking_ , Aqua interjected.

Xehanort charged forwards, swinging the χ–blade down, across, and on an angle. Sora blocked the first strike with his own Keyblades, but wasn’t fast enough to intercept the other two.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to be. Destiny’s Embrace, Braveheart, and Memory’s Embrace whipped up from his back to parry the second swipe, and Oathkeeper, Oblivion, and Flame Liberator turned away the final one.

Sora smiled. His friends had his back.

Xehanort’s hand started to glow with a blue light, and before Sora could react, he teleported right behind him. Seizing Sora by the shirt, he roughly threw him down towards the ground below. Right before impact, several of the Keyblades behind Sora stabbed outward, digging into remaining walls from the labyrinth, bringing him to a halt. With a yell, Sora launched himself back upwards, using the momentum from the catch to catapult himself back at Xehanort. Xehanort brought the χ–blade up to defend himself, blocking Sora’s strike.

The two separated, and Xehanort brought the χ–blade up, releasing a wave of cold. This was followed by a cluster of fireballs that Sora only narrowly managed to avoid, and finished by three strikes of lightning. Just before the bolts hit, Goofy’s shield flew up, catching each of them in turn.

“Thanks, Goofy!” Sora murmured, grinning.

_No problem, Sora!_

Xehanort glared, and rushed towards Sora. Just before making contact, he disappeared through a portal shaped like a Keyhole. _Stay alert! He could be anywhere!_ Terra cautioned. And he was right.

Xehanort appeared on the left, and his strike was parried by Ends of the Earth. Leaving an afterimage blade locked with the floating Keyblade, he warped again, appearing behind Sora, and being blocked by Lost Memory. He appeared to the front, and Sora caught the strike on his Kingdom Keys. He appeared to the left, parried by Stormfall. The pattern continued, but each strike tied up a weapon. “That’s not good,” Sora muttered, grunting a bit due to the strain.

_Hold on, Sora, I think I can help with this!_

“Oswald?” Sora asked. The paintbrush rose above his head, and started to spin, sending down a rain of paint thinner that made the images of Xehanort vanish, freeing up the weapons.

“Nice!” Sora cheered, and whirled to block a normal strike from Xehanort.

_Sora, I have an idea!_ Roxas called.

“Whatever it is, do it!” Sora replied.

Oathkeeper and Oblivion soared up in front of Sora’s face, crossed over each other, and released a blast of light. It did no damage, but Xehanort reeled backward, blinded.

_An opening!_ Lea pointed out, and Sora rushed to meet it, landing a combo on Xehanort that sent the χ–blade wielder flying backwards.

Xehanort shook his head, clearing the spots from his eyes, and let loose a string of dark shots. Keyblades whirled and spun around Sora as they deflected them, Isa’s claymore slamming down in front of Sora’s body to catch two that slipped through. _Keep the pressure on him,_ Isa advised.

“Right!” Sora said, but Xehanort had other plans. Eight green fireballs surrounded Sora, converging on his position only to be caught by Keyblades. This locked Sora in position, leaving him open for a blast of Flare.

_Not so fast!_ Donald called, and his stave rose to position, sending out his own blast of Flare. Stormfall and Destiny’s Embrace rose to join it, adding Kairi and Aqua’s power to his. A third Keyblade rose as well: a graceful, elegant design with sweeping lavender and yellow curves making the shaft, a blue circle with five points surrounding a gold star with finely tapered points, and a glowing, sparkling star set into the hilt with an identical one hanging as the Keychain.

“Whose is that?” Sora wondered.

_Forgive me,_ said the owner, _but I presumed you would not know how to fight with a wizard’s hat._

“Master Yen Sid?” Sora gasped.

He could feel a sense of pride coming from the retired Master. _This Shooting Star is not a true Keyblade, just an image of what I once wielded. But it should serve._ Yen Sid’s own magic joined Donald’s, Aqua’s, and Kairi’s, and together they pushed back Xehanort’s Flare until both spells fizzled out.

Undeterred, Xehanort conjured a pillar of fire. It slowly moved over the ground to where Sora stood in the air, then violently exploded into a huge tornado of flame. Sora leapt backwards, just out of reach of the flames, and narrowly dodged another volley of dark bolts.

Xehanort appeared next to him out of another Keyhole, χ–blade raised and ready to strike before Sora could react. Just before the hit struck, Memory’s Embrace rose between them, and cast Slow. Xehanort’s movements became sluggish just long enough for Sora to slide out of the way of the strike. “Thanks, Naminé!” Sora gasped.

_Look out!_

A new sequence of strikes rained down on Sora, being turned aside by Keyblades in turn. _Attack him back, dipshit!_ Vanitas said, somehow managing to make a completely mental voice shout.

Sliding under a strike, Sora whipped up his Keyblades. Xehanort merely stepped back, laughing, but quickly turned to block a strike from Ends of the Earth, Stormfall, and Lost Memory. Terra, Aqua, and Ven held him there, locking the χ–blade in place, while Oathkeeper, Oblivion, and Flame Liberator came up to strike his other side –

Xehanort’s eyes widened, and No Name flashed into his left hand, taking the strike. _Oh, come_ on _!_ Xion complained.

_Two?_ Lea gasped.

Sora grit his teeth. The claymore, Memory’s Embrace, and Void Gear all joined in, trying to push through Xehanort’s guard.

Xehanort merely shook his head, laughing. “Foolish,” he said.

Sora glared. Braveheart, Daisy’s war hammer, Goofy’s shield, and Destiny’s Embrace shot forwards, and would have impacted Xehanort’s face had the man not ducked down.

They separated, staring each other down from across the sky. “You have come so far, and yet you are still blind to the truth,” Xehanort said. “There is nothing you can do that can oppose the power of the χ–blade. The perfect fusion of light and darkness.”

“ _Perfect?_ ” Sora asked, the voices of the others resounding in him. “ _I think it’s you who doesn’t understand, Master Xehanort. There’s no such thing as ‘perfection’. There’s no such thing as ‘purity’. That χ–blade you hold…_ _it wasn’t made from pure darknesses and pure lights. Nobody is pure darkness, or pure light. None of us you made fight as lights… and not you, either. Your Seekers may have held your darkness… but you yourself are_ not _pure darkness. You can’t be. Nobody can be. So that χ–blade… is just as fake as the first one you made!_ ”

“Shall we put that to the test?” Xehanort sneered, and leveled both his Keyblade and the χ–blade at Sora.

A beam of light shot forth from the two Keyblades, and Sora brought his own Keyblades up to meet it, sending forth his own beam of light. The other Keyblades surrounding him rose up, adding their own strength to the light. “ _The difference between us,_ ” Sora declared, “ _is that after everything, we all stand together. And you stand alone_.”

Xehanort’s eyes widened as the Keyblade of Time moved into view. “That young fool,” he hissed.

“ _All he’s done is make a grasp at being more than you could ever hope to be,_ ” Sora said. Xehanort roared, and moved closer, closing the distance between them. Sora grunted under the strain.

Consider the effects of something put under compression. As Xehanort moved closer to Sora, the energy of their light beams colliding grew stronger and stronger, under more and more pressure. At some point, something would pop. And it was looking like it would be Sora’s side.

With great effort, Sora held back the tide of energy, but even with the help of everyone who could, his strength was fading. “Rest, now,” Xehanort said, almost gently. “You have done your very best, and that is something to have pride in.”

Sora grit his teeth, and planted his feet on thin air. “ _We… will… never… give… up!_ ”

Xehanort’s eyes widened as bright white cracks started to form along the length of the χ–blade.

With a loud yell, Sora and everyone else gave one final push, sending the combined energy back into the χ–blade… which shattered in Xehanort’s hand.

Xehanort stumbled backwards as Sora collapsed to one knee, exhausted, unable to lift his Keyblades to take advantage of the opening.

But he wasn’t alone.

Void Gear sailed forwards, thrusting upwards and impaling Xehanort straight through the chest.

There was no smugness in Vanitas’s tone, no jeering, no fear.

Just determination.

_Stay away from my friends._

Xehanort fell backwards, and began the long fall to the ground below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, Vanitas was due one last Xehanort murder. Rule of three and all that.  
> These last... I want to say six? chapters or so were all written over the course of one weekend (the same weekend the first chapter of the fic went up), as I very much wanted to finish on time. Interspersed with the writing, I watched (for the second time) Dragon Ball Super: Broly. You might be able to see the Dragon Ball influence, if the quotation from TFS's translation of [Unmei no Hi/Day of Fate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OZ-yNdKw3o) didn't tip you off (also the fact that I've been referring to this as a "day of fate" since the beginning). And that has been planned since the beginning; DBZA episode 60 was released around the same time I was plotting how this fic would end. It stuck with me, what can I say? :P  
> And, of course, this was the real reason why Sora got Drive Forms back. It's also the reason why he hasn't used them since: he's been saving that guaranteed post-Anti-form success. My plan to call it "Ultima Form" also predates the release of KH3, where the Ultima Weapon's formchange gives you an "Ultimate Form". I saw no reason to change it.  
> I did, however, finally bite the bullet and blinked as regards the names of Lea and Riku's Keyblades. It's been a year and a half since KH3, and as far as I'm aware, we _still_ don't have canonical, official English names for either of them. I can hear you saying, "But Sannae, we know their names. What's the problem?" I ask that you direct your questions to Master Keeper, Oath's Charm, Serendipitous Duo, Last Resort, Power of Hero, Native Work, Rudder of Fate, Classic Notes, Rock Splendor, Crystal Works, Winning Medallion, Crown Unlimit, Chaos Reaper, True Light Soar, Tide from Abyss, Heretic Flare, Fantasy Notes, Overdrive... I think you get the idea. My point is, only about half the time is the Japanese name the same as the English one. There's no guarantee that "Flame Liberator" or "Braveheart" are what those Keyblades are going to be called in English. As such, I reserve the right to go back and edit them to their final names when those names are finally given to us.  
> All along this series I've been pushing the idea that no one is "pure" anything. Not even Princesses of Heart are "pure" lights. And it would have made sense to me for this bit of hubris to be Xehanort's downfall: his plan hinges on the idea that _he_ is a pure Darkness. That thirteen copies of his heart count as the thirteen Darknesses needed to forge the true χ–blade. And the fact of the matter is... he's not. No one can be. Forging the true χ–blade through this method would never work. I'm a little surprised canon didn't go this route, but hey. Why bother using a line of reasoning that fits if Xehanort really _is_ a misguided good guy, right? What, you expect them to _support_ their arguments in the same game they make them in? Please.  
> Now, of course, I'm the way I'm writing Xehanort, he _doesn't_ see himself as the good guy, merely the person who needed to step into the necessary villainous role to bring about what (he thinks) is a good outcome. So yeah. Anyways, no one is 100% anything, so any forged χ–blade is just going to break like the first one did. It's self-cleaning!  
> I think that's about everything for the chapter! In other news, I _did_ end up starting FFX-2, and I have to say I'm loving it thus far! I generally prefer when sequels, you know, _keep the same battle system as the game they're a sequel to_ but considering X-2 returned to the ATB system that the main FF games have had since 4, I don't mind (even if it was jarring to go back to after X's CTB) I'm about 10 hours in (and on the advice of my brother I've been following a walkthrough from the start, knowing there's a shit ton of missable content in this game), and by 10 hours in I mean I've spent about 2 hours on the story (last thing I did was hand out balloons in a Moogle suit) and 8 hours grinding for dressphere abilities. I am absolutely _reveling_ in the concept of _actual, visible GOALS_ to be grinding for, instead of arbitrary, untrackable pathways with no indication of relative strength level. In conclusion, the sphere grid sucks, FF8-style ability learning all the way, I've now learned to appreciate grinding like I never have before, and no I don't care if I'm playing the game wrong. I'm having _fun_.  
> I think that about covers everything, and I'm almost out of space anyways. Next week... the end is near, as Xehanort faces the final curtain...


	20. Checkmate

Sora gently lowered to the ground near where Xehanort lay, and undid the Drive Form. “Whoa…” He stumbled a bit, getting a sense of vertigo from the sudden absence.

Kairi and Riku stepped up to him, taking his hands.

“He’s not dead yet,” Xion pointed out.

“No… but he’s not a threat anymore, either,” Sora said.

“And that ‘yet’ is coming faster than you think,” Naminé murmured.

Slowly, the group stepped forwards to where Xehanort lay. He blinked, woozily as they approached. “ _And now…_ ” he murmured to himself, “ _the end is near… and so I face… the final curtain_.”

Lea glanced at Aqua, who had a furious look on her face. “You okay?”

“I think I just realized who owned those records I found in the attic,” she muttered. “Disgusting.”

Master Xehanort seemed to realize they were present. “Of course,” he muttered. “Of course. I should have seen it. A union… of seven darknesses… and thirteen lights. Very well done.”

“We’re not looking for your approval, you old bastard,” Vanitas hissed. Aqua and Ven stepped up next to him, and his hands seemed to shake less.

Xehanort ignored him. “Even my own younger self,” he said, bemused. “We were so close to the end… why did you choose to betray our cause?”

The younger Xehanort grit his teeth. “I had been… unconvinced… ever since you made it known that this path would result in the death of my best… my _only_ friend, at my own hands. And what’s worse, is that you didn’t seem to even care. What ways must I be twisted, how far must I fall, to view that act in the manner you do? Too far. Farther than I consider acceptable.” As he spoke, Roxas threaded his hand into Xion’s, and Mickey and Minnie grasped each other’s hands, as did Donald and Daisy. Terra and Aqua glanced at each other in surprise, knowing there was only one person the younger Xehanort could possibly be referring to.

“Eraqus was an old fool,” Master Xehanort said, dismissively. “His love for his precious ‘balance’ pushed things closer towards an inevitable end. Denying the darkness is not better than embracing it, no matter what he believed.”

“I don’t care about his philosophy,” the younger Xehanort retorted. “I don’t care who we both became in the years still ahead of me. What I was informed of was that the boy who tried to befriend me when I first arrived at the Land of Departure, the boy who dogged my footsteps no matter how much I told him to leave me alone, the boy who was always up for a game of chess no matter how badly I trounced him, would die by my hand. I cannot be having with that. And now, I understand that I can prevent that future from coming to pass.”

To their surprise, Master Xehanort began to laugh. It was an odd laugh, sounding like it didn’t quite belong to him.

Just for a second, they thought they saw him flicker like a skipped frame in a movie, briefly replaced by another man, with a full head of greying black hair, and two scars framing his face. In the same voice, but a tone completely unlike Xehanort’s, the old man said. “I have been waiting longer than you could imagine to hear you say that.”

“You’re kidding me,” Vanitas said, but he was overshadowed by Aqua, Terra, and Ventus all rushing forwards.

“Master?” Aqua said, in a voice that seemed much smaller than she could ever produce.

A golden light suffused Master Xehanort’s body, and coalesced, moving slightly to the side, revealing a very familiar man sitting next to his fallen former friend.

Eraqus smiled. “Hello again, everyone.” He held up a hand to forestall the outpouring of gladness from Terra, Aqua, and Ven. “I’m afraid this is still goodbye, my students. I stand by what I said. The time of Xehanort and myself is at an end.”

“Are you sure, Master?” Terra said. Tears were freely rolling down his cheeks, as they were Aqua and Ven’s. The three of them cuddled together, Terra’s arms around the other two. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Eraqus shook his head. “I truly am sorry. Forgive your foolish master one last bit of selfishness. But I know I leave the worlds in the hands of those far more capable of finding balance than I ever was.”

“Master Eraqus,” Yen Sid rumbled, standing behind Eraqus’s former students.

“Master Yen Sid,” Eraqus replied, smiling. “For being retired, you’ve done a remarkable job.”

Yen Sid waved the compliment away. “How is this possible? Your heart had moved on, had it not?”

“That was my intent,” Eraqus said, “but clearly not Xehanort’s. His younger self unknowingly retrieved both of our hearts. I was unable to influence Xehanort’s actions from within his new body, but now, I am free to complete my last task.”

“Wily old fox,” Master Xehanort said, still prone on the ground.

Eraqus glared at him. “Which makes you a stubborn old goat. I was a fool to think I saw shades of the man you once were in you. That being said,” he added, turning to the younger Xehanort, “I have hopes that that man will continue on to the greatness you turned away.” He smiled. “There were times in our youth where I thought you did not care for me, you know.”

The younger Xehanort rubbed his arm, embarrassed. “You were… a lot, that I had no idea how to react to,” he admitted. “But… I meant what I said. Somehow, you still contrived to be my closest friend.”

Eraqus smirked. “You may try making the attempt to tell me so, this time around,” he quipped.

Master Xehanort slowly rose to his feet. “Xehanort,” Eraqus said, “it is time.”

“One last order of business,” Master Xehanort said, the fight having left him. He held out his hand, and summoned his Keyblade. There was a flurry of movement as everyone else also summoned their weapons, but Xehanort made no move to strike. “Vanitas,” he said instead.

“Fuck off,” came the reply.

“This Keyblade has been passed down from master to student since the Age of Fairytales. It is the oldest surviving relic of the First Keyblade War,” Xehanort said, ignoring him. “As my student, it is now yours.”

Vanitas’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want your _shit_.”

“You are under no obligation to take it, of course,” Xehanort said, idly. “But a Keyblade of this age and power… there are those who would seek to take it for their own. It would be a shame to break that chain of master and apprentice.”

Vanitas looked unmoved, but started as Yen Sid placed a hand on his shoulder. “I understand the way that Keyblade must make you feel,” he said, softly, so that barely anyone else could hear, “but remember it has had a long history before Xehanort received ownership of it. His use of it need not be more than a footnote in its legacy, if that legacy continues on.”

“I don’t give a shit about that Keyblade’s _legacy_ ,” Vanitas muttered.

“No,” Yen Sid said, “But you do care about spiting Xehanort.”

Vanitas glared at him, and sighed. Master Xehanort plunged the Keyblade tip-down into the dirt, and stepped away from it. Vanitas walked up, banishing Void Gear, and claimed the Keyblade from the ground. “What’s the damn thing called, anyway?” he asked nobody in particular.

“As far as I am aware,” Master Xehanort replied, “it has no name. Thus, ‘No Name’ is what it is called.”

“Sounds stupid,” Vanitas muttered, but he banished No Name anyway.

“My business is concluded,” Xehanort said to Eraqus, who nodded.

“My students… I love you all. Those we entrust the future to… I feel confident in your strength to protect what matters. And Xehanort…” Eraqus turned back to the younger version of his former friend. “I wish you good luck.”

The younger Xehanort smiled. “I will let my heart… be my guiding Key.”

Eraqus smiled back, then placed a hand on the older Xehanort’s shoulder. Together, they transformed into balls of light, and rose up towards the still-present Kingdom Hearts, vanishing from sight.

Kingdom Hearts receded, restoring daylight to the ruins of the Keyblade Graveyard.

The remaining Xehanort took a deep breath. “I must return to my own time,” he said. “But first, there is something I must do. Terra, may I speak with you?”

Terra frowned, stepping forwards. “What is it?”

Xehanort stepped up to him. “If I am going to try to make things better, there is one thing I can do. It is not enough to make amends… but I would like to try to balance the scales, if you will allow me.”

“What do you mean?” Terra asked.

Xehanort hesitated. “I… owe you thirteen years of your life,” he explained. “And… with this Keyblade, I can return them. With your permission.”

Terra’s eyes widened. “You don’t have to,” he started, but Xehanort was shaking his head.

“I want to,” he said. “I feel it is… the right thing to do.”

Terra took a deep breath, and nodded. “Okay.”

Xehanort summoned his Keyblade, and placed the tip against Terra’s chest. He closed his eyes.

There was a flash, and Terra could feel something shifting. He screwed his own eyes shut, and when he opened them, the flash had faded.

“Light above,” Aqua murmured.

Terra stood there, the same age he’d been before he’d lost his body to Xehanort. The years that his body had lived as Xehanort and as Xemnas had been wiped away… although the memories lingered on.

Xehanort, meanwhile, looked no different. “How did you do that?” Terra asked.

Xehanort shrugged. “It was not difficult. All I did was transfer thirteen years of my own lifespan to you.”

“You _what?_ ” Terra said, aghast, but Xehanort held up a hand.

“My life, my choice to make as to what I do with it,” he said, softly. “And I do not regret this decision in the slightest.”

Vanitas stepped over to him. “You’re leaving.” It was an observation, not a question.

“Yes,” Xehanort said. And that was it. There was too much between them for words at this point, and at the same time, nothing at all.

Vanitas nodded, then stepped forwards and drove his fist deep into Xehanort’s stomach. Xehanort bent double, coughing and wheezing as the breath was forced from his lungs. “Fair,” he choked out.

“Don’t fuck up this time,” Vanitas replied, stalking back over to stand near Naminé and Roxas. Roxas put a hand on his shoulder, and Vanitas didn’t push it away.

Xehanort straightened back up, still coughing slightly, and cleared his throat. “Xehanort,” Yen Sid said, and he looked to the retired Master.

Yen Sid smiled. “Listen to your heart.”

Xehanort smiled back. “I will make the effort.” He raised his Keyblade, and an unfamiliar, swirling blue portal opened behind him. “I thank you all for trusting me, even without cause to. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but with any luck, we will never meet again.”

“Xehanort, wait!” Sora said, rushing over. “There’s a saying that in every revolution, there’s one man with a vision, but it’s wrong. Revolutions don’t happen because of one person driving them forwards, they happen because of lots of people all working together, towards the same goal, all believing in that goal. A shared vision. So, don’t try to go it alone, okay? Reach out, to your Master, to your Eraqus, to anyone you can. There’s infinite worlds out there with people who will reach for you. You just have to let them. Find the person who seems farthest from you… and reach for them.”

Xehanort nodded, and smiled. “Sora… I shall consider it.” With that, he turned, and walked through the blue portal, which closed behind him.

There was a collective deep breath among the group. “I can’t believe… it’s over,” Aqua murmured. “After so long…”

“Kind of makes you wonder where we go from here,” Riku said.

Roxas looked at him, rolling his eyes. “Home, obviously. I could use a shower.”

“I’ll help,” Xion said, smirking, and Lea grimaced, Isa matching Xion’s smirk and patting Lea’s back.

“You have _got_ to be _kidding me_.”

A ball of purple energy sprouted into being in the middle of the group, and before anyone could react, a Graviza spell forced them all to the ground.

Out of the shadows of a nearby chunk of still-standing stone stepped Xigbar.

“You–!” Ven muttered through gritted teeth.

“Yep, me,” Xigbar said. He smiled, but unlike usual there was no humour in it. “I _cannot_ believe it. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?” His tone grew darker as he talked. “How long I’ve been waiting to get my hands on that Keyblade? And does he give it to me, like he promised? As _if_. No, no, he passes it on to a brat who doesn’t even _want_ it.” He strode through the Graviza field, unaffected by the spell. He stopped by Vanitas and crouched down. “So, what do you say, kid, feel like giving that Keyblade to its rightful owner?”

“Sorry…” Vanitas said, mocking. “I’m not… feeling… all that… generous… today.” He spat, and it hit dead centre of Xigbar’s eyepatch.

“One marksman to another, I have to admit that was a nice shot,” Xigbar said, wiping the spit off his face. He straightened up. “Ridiculous. Still, I suppose all I need is some leverage.”

“There’s… nothing… you… can… do… that’ll… make… me… give… you… that damn… Keyblade,” Vanitas ground out.

“Thought you didn’t want it?” Xigbar asked, mocking.

“No… but… making… you… mad… is… worth… it…” Vanitas replied.

Xigbar sighed, dramatically. “Yeah, that tracks. Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on trying to convince _you_. Fortunately, I know a sure way to make sure _someone_ here will give me what I want. Oh, Sora?”

“What?” Sora asked, straining against the gravity.

“All’s been quiet on the home front this whole time, right?” Xigbar asked. “Think it’s about time for that to change.”

“What… do you…?” Sora started to ask, but Xigbar had already opened a Dark Corridor and stepped through.

The Graviza spell had not vanished. “I… don’t… get it,” Kairi said. “What does… he… mean?”

“He’s… gotta… mean…” Sora trailed off as light dawned. “Oh…. no, no, no, _no, no!_ ” With effort, he summoned his Keyblade and pointed it straight at the ground. “He’s going… _home!_ ”

A Light Corridor blossomed under Sora’s feet, and the Graviza spell pulled him right through it, leaving the Keyblade Graveyard – and all his friends – far behind.

Moving into the new house hadn’t been as complicated as she’d thought it might be. Tidus and Wakka had volunteered to help, although she would have preferred if Wakka had managed to keep his shirt on the entire time. Still, he was around that age; she was glad Sora and Riku hadn’t turned out like that.

This new house had four bedrooms; she was hoping she could convince Roxas and Xion that rooming separately was more socially acceptable, or at least that there were some circumstances under which even two people in love needed space away from each other. And if that didn’t work out, as she suspected it wouldn’t, they could probably use the guest room.

She was sitting in the new living room, nursing a cup of tea and trying not to worry too much. She’d had the feeling again; the same one she’d had when Sora had… had been hurt on a mission. That incident had directly proceeded a visit home the next day, and while he had been fine then, she still worried. She’d gotten a similar feeling the day before a visit from Roxas and Xion, when Xion had been injured and nearly… The newest feeling had gone away faster this time, and she hoped that meant she would be seeing her son relatively soon.

She would have liked to see all of her children, if she was being honest. Even the ones whom she didn’t really have a claim to. Even the ones that were technically already adults.

There was a knock at the door, and she jumped, startled out of her thoughts. Gathering herself, she hurried to the door, hoping it was her Sora.

Instead, she found herself face to face with a tall man in a black coat with long, silver-streaked dark hair and an eyepatch opposite a scar. “Hello there,” the man said, grinning. “My name’s Xigbar.

“I think we need to have a chat about your son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Give 'em the old razzle-dazzle_  
>  _Razzle-dazzle 'em_  
>  _Back since the days of old Methuselah_  
>  _Everyone's loved the big bambooz-a-lah_  
>  _Give 'em the old three-ring circus_  
>  _Stun and stagger 'em_  
>  _When you're in trouble, go into your dance_  
>  _Though you are stiffer than a girder_  
>  _They let you get away... with_ **murder**  
>  _Razzle-dazzle 'em_  
>  _And you've got a romance!_  
>  Let's take this from the top.  
> Yes, the whole thing with Aqua and the lounge/jazz music is just so I could have Xehanort go out with _My Way_. Still riding that DBZA high; although in fairness to me, like takahata101 I _also_ saw Sing.  
> This is, ultimately, the reason why the title changed from "The Seekers and the Guardians" to "Seven and Thirteen". I realized that after Isa arrived and Oswald and Young Nort swapped sides, there were now seventeen people on the Guardians' side. I changed the plan and brought in Yen Sid, Minnie, and Daisy because if I had three more people, that would make twenty going into Ultima Form. Thirteen lights, and seven Darknesses; the opposite of what Xehanort wanted for the χ–blade. (If you're wondering, Young Nort, Oswald, Terra, Riku, Vanitas, Isa, and Aqua counted as the Darknesses. Yes, Aqua. Love me that Anti-Aqua. No, this will never be relevant again.) The union of seven and thirteen happened, just not the way Xehanort wanted or expected.  
> I'd like to point out in case it isn't clear that Eraqus here is not here to bring Xehanort to a well-earned rest as a friend. He's more a ghost of the past/jailer. Ideally you could tell from the fact that they didn't turn into twinks. But, this was planned from the start; go back to Finding A Way and count the number of lights at the end of chapter 1 and the start of chapter 2: they merged on the journey upwards before they were picked up.  
> As you can probably tell since you have the very date this chapter was written in it's entirety (hint: it's the same day chapter 1 of this fic was posted), this was written before Dark Road came out, or indeed was even hinted at beyond a title, premise, and platform. Am I playing it? Yes. Am I enjoying it? Yes. Have I hit one of those good old gatcha-game "give us money" walls? Yes. (Mission 20, if you're wondering). So if you'd like to talk about anything from _before_ that point, feel free.  
> Vanitas is being given No Name because _reasons_. Character reasons. Plot reasons. You'll see. :P I also like to believe that Yen Sid is the first authority figure that Vanitas actually has a modicum of respect, maybe even trust for.  
> This was also my ultimate plan for getting Terra back to his proper age. Not only does it not cause a paradox or leave the question of what happened to his original body, it also explains why Xehanort aged so fast in comparison to Eraqus (or at least, it'll give this Nort a reason to look the way he does when he's old that _isn't_ Darkness-related). Why is that important? You'll seeeeeee...  
> Sora's parting words to Young Nort are again a play on the Star Trek episode Mirror, Mirror (with a bit from Star Trek: Discovery, also originally directed at Spock). Kirk's original line is "In every revolution, there is one man with a vision", which I found a bit too Sixties for our modern-day sensibilities and adjusted accordingly. (Evil Spock's response is still "Captain Kirk, I shall consider it", though).  
> And finally... Boy. That old Xiggy Stardust sure is doing Xigbar things, isn't he? :3c  
> Some might say it's a dick move to make you wait two weeks to see how this is all executed. But here's the thing.  
> I have never claimed not to be a dick. :3c  
> So, having brought things to a dead stop, I'll see you all two weeks from now, for one final parting shot before this series starts to wind down, and we count the cost of war.  
> Until then.


End file.
